Think You Can't Create Your Own Chatbot? Well, You Can!
Don't worry about API's, writing code, or subscription fees . . .
“Power Hungry Processing: Watts Driving the Cost of AI Deployment?” is the subject of my next research paper review (the version I read has not yet been peer-reviewed). The work argues the AI task of generating ONE image consumes as much energy as charging ONE cell phone (page 5), so I have stopped creating AI images! I will be recycling what I created before I knew that information or using stock images.
Creating Your Own Chatbot!
For the past few weeks, I have been obsessed with figuring out how those of us without a background in Computer Science can create functioning chatbots to share with students!
I researched what I call, for lack of a better term, “mainstream chatbot generators.” Excluding the few that I did not pursue: AutogenStudio UI 2.0, ChatGPT-4, and CrewAI, all of them are at least free (some require an account, some have limited functionality without a paid subscription).
I hope at least one chatbot is useful!
I apologize, but the material for this is lengthy, so for a full account please visit “Don’t Think You Can Create Your Own Chatbot? You Can!” via a Google Doc. I will highlight one or two chatbot creators in this piece.
CREATING A CUSTOMIZED CHATBOT IN HUGGINGFACE
PRIVACY POLICY: Data not used for research or model training; all assistants are public.
To begin, click the “+Create New assistant” button (upper right-hand corner)
Avatar: upload an image to display as the “face” of the chatbot/assistant
Name: the assistant’s name
Description: explain what the assistant knows and does
Model: choose from 6 LLMs to run the assistant
Figure 1: Large Language Model (LLM) options (as of 04.17.24)
User start messages: the statement(s) you want the assistant to use when greeting a user; multiple messages can be supplied
Internet access (experimental feature as of 04.17.24):
Only one of the listed reference methods can be checked
Default: “Assistant will not use internet to do information retrieval and will respond faster. Recommended for most Assistants”
Web search: the assistant will reference online sources
Domains search: the specific domains an assistant should refer to when answering a prompt
Specific links: the specific hyperlinks an assistant should refer to when answering a prompt
Dynamic Prompt: “Allow the use of template variables {{url=https://example.com/path}} to insert dynamic content into your prompt by making GET requests to specified URLs on each inference”
Instructions (System Prompt): explain, with as much detail as possible, the assistant’s role, expertise, objectives, tone, etc.
CREATING A CUSTOMIZED CHATBOT IN MIZOU
PRIVACY POLICY: Abides by FERPA; collects user-AI interaction data; does not share user data with OpenAI for training or improving GPT models; data collected via OpenAI’s API saved for 30 days and then deleted.
To begin, click the “My Chatbots” button (left-hand column) > “Build a Chatbot” button
Figure 2: The “Build a Chatbot” button in Mizou.
Mode of chatbot creation:
Custom: “You will create the prompt from scratch”
AI-Generated: “Mizou will create the prompt based on your learning objectives”
Learning Objectives: “Describe the specific skill or knowledge that the student is expected to acquire by the end of the interaction”
Grade Level: “Specify the grade level to adapt the interaction appropriately”
“Get Ideas” button: AI generates prompts a quiz, discussion, multiple choice quiz, interactive story or an essay > select the preferred prompt and click the “Generate” button
Chatbot Instructions
Title: “Add a title to represent the chatbot experience. It should be explanatory and engaging for the student to motivate them to start”
Ai Instructions: “Clearly define the roles and responsibilities for both the chatbot and the student, including what they should do, how they should do it, when these actions should take place etc.”
An initial set of directions is automatically-generated for the assistant
If a user wishes to change those, they can manually be re-written or re-generated via AI (click the “Generate” button)
1,000 character limit on written instructions
Grade level: choose the grade level (from “Kindergarten” to “University”)
Picture: the chatbot image shown to users (upload a different image file by clicking the pencil icon)
AI Name: AI generates a name that can be changed
More options
Click the “Generate all fields” button to have AI draft responses for the remaining fill-in fields
Welcome message: “Add a welcoming message that the chatbot should always start with”
250 character limit
Rules: “Delineate the guidelines for actions that the chatbot and student should or should not undertake”
1,000 character limit
Knowledge File: “By uploading files, you enable the chatbot to use the content from these files. The Chatbot automatically decides when to retrieve content based on user interaction”
This feature is only available with a paid subscription
Audio: choose either “Emma” or “John” as the voice for reading the chatbot material
Clicking the triangle play button plays the audio in the chosen voice
Clicking on the three-dot horizontal bar allows for changing the playback speed
Clicking the microphone icon (lower right-hand corner) allows the user to record their prompt (speech-to-text)
To stop a voice recording click the square stop button
To approve of the recording click the checkmark icon
To discard a recording click the trashcan icon
Discovery
Thumbnail: upload an image to associate with your assistant (upload a different image file by clicking the pencil icon)
Short description: “Provide a concise yet informative description that introduces and defines the chatbot's experience and purpose to the student”
500 character limit
Subject: select the academic subject area that best reflects your chatbot