Najlepsza odpowiedź
There is a real difference and it is about who decides what to say next: a rule or a model.
A DM automation is a flow you drew. This trigger, then this message, then a branch on which button they tapped. It does exactly what you built, every time, and when it does something unexpected you can point at the step. That predictability is why almost every high volume use case, comment to DM, lead capture, booking, giveaway, is built this way.
A chatbot in the current sense means a language model reading the message and writing a reply. It handles the question you did not anticipate and the person who types a paragraph instead of tapping. It also costs per call, it can be wrong with confidence, and you cannot point at a step afterwards.
Most working setups are both, split by job:
- The flow owns the paths you know: the price question, the link, the booking, the opt out.
- The model owns the entrance: reading a free text message and deciding which known path it belongs to.
- A person owns everything else, and the flow hands over early rather than guessing.
That split gives you the predictability where volume is and the flexibility where it is not.
If you go as far as the model, it runs on your own provider key, so you set the spend cap and the model. The AI prompts and BYOK article covers how the key, the caps and the moderation settings work.