Questions about Ask Britannica

How are these questions being answered?

Ask Britannica is our beta artificial intelligence tool. We built Ask Britannica to harness Machine Language techniques to learn and Natural Language Understanding (NLU) to interpret the intent of your question. Ask Britannica then uses the knowledge found in Britannica’s articles to generate a dynamic answer in real time.    

What sort of questions should I ask?

The best questions are the ones you would ask when you’re using an encyclopedia — which is to say: just about anything! You’re more likely to get a useful answer, though, if you ask a question that’s a complete sentence and that asks for facts. Keep it simple too. For example: When was Serena Williams born? is much more likely to generate a clear answer than What happened in 1721? or How did Napoleon lose the Battle of Waterloo and who were the generals he fought against and what year? or Turkey? If you think the question might confuse a teacher or friend, it will probably confuse Ask Britannica!

How accurate are these answers?

Ask Britannica’s answers are derived from Britannica articles, which are vetted and fact-checked before publication. Sometimes, however, Ask Britannica may not fully understand the question or its intent, and therefore its replies may present inaccurate or confusing information. This is our initial beta test, and continuing refinement is underway. But we need your feedback to make Ask Britannica better. 

Are Britannica’s editors answering these questions?

No, Ask Britannica is showing AI-generated answers. The editors of Britannica are not involved with reviewing, editing, or answering questions that may come through this chat feature. If readers are interested in asking questions that may be answered by Britannica’s editors, they should visit, our new question-and-answer platform. Readers are also welcome to answer questions there. Select questions may be answered or pinned by Britannica editors. 

What happens when I rate an answer?

When you rate an answer, your feedback will be recorded and used to improve Ask Britannica. The more feedback you provide, the more quickly its answers will improve.

Can I save these questions and answers somewhere?

We’re so glad you want to save these questions and answers. At this time, we are unable to save them in our chat feature. However, every question you submit is helping us refine Ask Britannica to make it a more powerful tool. And don’t forget that you can visit, our new question-and-answer platform, to ask any questions you would like a broader community to help answer. While you are there, you can also explore questions you may want to answer yourself.

Can I keep coming back to use Ask Britannica?

Yes! Please challenge us with a variety of questions on a variety of topics. We look forward to hearing what readers like you are curious about.

Why might some of these answers be incorrect?

There are a number of reasons why Ask Britannica’s answers may not be accurate. Ask Britannica is leveraging Natural Language Understanding (NLU) to interpret the intent of the question, and sometimes it will be challenged with the question’s intent and may provide inaccurate answers. Ask Britannica is also still harnessing a limited portion of Britannica’s rich archive of information and therefore may not have all of the necessary information to provide a meaningful answer. 

Machine reading comprehension is a challenging goal and one that needs to constantly learn and evolve. As a beta tool, we know Ask Britannica has a long way to go, but, as we work with more readers like you, we can provide meaningful input to help it become a more powerful and useful tool. And keep in mind that, if you’re not satisfied with the answer, you have all of Britannica’s articles still to explore. So select Search, type a few words, and find your answer.

Can I use Ask Britannica on my site?

Contact us via to learn more.

Why is Britannica doing this?For 250 years Encyclopædia Britannica has been documenting human potential through every discovery and innovation. Britannica serves students, families, scholars, community members, and educators around the world. While we may have originated in print, we have evolved into a multimedia educational company to suit the evolving needs of lifelong learners today. Ask Britannica is yet another evolution of our mission to inspire curiosity and love of learning.