AI chatbots are everywhere. Let's build one that actually works, using Bubble.io and OpenAI.
What We're Building
A fully functional AI chatbot that: - Understands natural language - Remembers conversation context - Provides helpful responses - Handles errors gracefully
Setting Up OpenAI
- Create an OpenAI account
- Generate an API key
- Choose your model:
Bubble API Configuration
Set up the API Connector:
API Name: OpenAI
Authentication: Bearer Token (your API key)
Headers:
Endpoint: POST https://api.openai.com/v1/chat/completions
Database Structure
Create tables for:
Conversations:
Messages:
The Chat Interface
Design a clean UI: - Message history (repeating group) - Input field - Send button - Loading indicator
Sending Messages
When the user sends a message:
- Save message to database
- Fetch conversation history
- Call OpenAI API
- Save assistant response
- Display in chat
System Prompts
The system prompt defines behavior:
"You are a helpful assistant for a real estate website. You help users find properties, answer questions about listings, and provide market insights. Be friendly, professional, and concise."
Conversation Memory
Include previous messages in API calls: - Limit to last 10-20 messages - Summarize older context - Stay within token limits
Error Handling
Plan for failures: - API rate limits - Network errors - Invalid responses - Timeout handling
Advanced Features
Streaming Responses - Show text as it generates
Function Calling - Let AI trigger actions
Memory Persistence - Remember user preferences
Multi-Modal - Handle images and files
Cost Management
Control API costs: - Set usage limits - Use GPT-3.5 for simple queries - Cache common responses - Monitor usage dashboard
Testing
Test thoroughly: - Edge cases - Long conversations - Unexpected inputs - Error scenarios
Deployment
Before going live: - Secure your API key - Implement rate limiting - Add content moderation - Monitor conversations
Build your AI chatbot with confidence. The future of customer interaction is here.
