Bibliometric Analysis Of Conversational Agents As Advisors, Mentors And Counsellors: Trends And Research Insights (2019–2025)
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This study presents a bibliometric analysis of global research trends on chatbots, conversational agents, and virtual assistants functioning as advisors, mentors, and counselors between 2019 and 2025 using 995 Scopus-indexed publications across the fields of computer science, engineering, social sciences, medicine, mathematics, and decision sciences. The study aims to examine publication growth, influential sources, collaboration networks, and emerging research themes related to AI-powered advisory systems. Data were analyzed using Bibliometrix, VOSviewer, and descriptive statistical techniques. The findings reveal a substantial exponential increase in publications, particularly following the emergence of generative artificial intelligence technologies such as ChatGPT, with annual publications increasing from 12 in 2019 to 474 in 2025. Computer Science remains the dominant discipline, while education, mental health, healthcare, and human-AI interaction have emerged as key application domains. Keyword co-occurrence analysis identifies “chatbot,” “artificial intelligence,” “natural language processing,” “machine learning,” and “large language models” as the most influential themes, reflecting a transition from traditional rule-based conversational systems toward intelligent generative AI applications. International collaboration networks are primarily dominated by the United States and China, whereas Southeast Asian contributions remain comparatively limited. The visualisation analysis further indicates that future research hotspots are centered on generative AI integration, ethical AI, trust, personalization, and domain-specific advisory systems. This study contributes to the growing body of knowledge on AI-powered conversational systems by providing a comprehensive overview of the intellectual structure and developmental trajectory of the field while offering strategic insights for researchers, policymakers, educators, and AI developers, particularly in supporting the development of culturally adaptive chatbot systems in Malaysia and other emerging digital economies.
Institutions: Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, Selangor Islamic University
Language: English
Topic: AI in Service Interactions
Subfield: Artificial Intelligence
Field: Computer Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7220404342