Building Your Own Chatbot with ChatGPT - Getting Started with AI Conversational Bots

Chatbots Are Easier to Start Than You Think

These days, you can find chatbots everywhere. Visit an online store's customer service and you'll meet a chatbot asking "How can I help you?" Open a banking app and you'll find an AI assistant ready to help with balance inquiries and transfers. Sometimes you even play games or chat with fun character chatbots created by friends.

As chatbots become part of our daily lives, many people start thinking, "Should I try making one?" But at the same time, worries arise: "Do I need to learn programming?" "Won't it require complex coding?"

Here's good news. These days, you can create and experience chatbots without knowing any coding at all. Just like making a PowerPoint presentation, you can use intuitive tools. Now is the perfect time to start with chatbots.

Today, I'll show you how anyone can easily experience conversational chatbots without any programming knowledge. Even beginners following along will think, "Wow, it's this easy!"

What Exactly is a Chatbot?

A chatbot is a program that communicates like a human. It answers questions, sometimes tells jokes, and finds information. It's a combination of 'Chat' and 'Robot' - literally a robot that talks.

Just five years ago, chatbots were really simple. Like an auto-responder, they would only reply "Hello" to "Hi", and you had to type exactly "connect to agent" to move to the next step. Asking slightly differently often resulted in repeating "I don't understand."

But now, with advances in AI technology, especially natural language processing, things have completely changed. Chatbots can now converse naturally like real people. Say "I'm hungry" and they recommend restaurants, say "I'm feeling down" and they empathize and offer comforting words. They even remember previous conversations and provide related follow-up responses.

First Chatbot Experience: ChatGPT

The easiest way to start is with ChatGPT. You can begin chatting right after signing up. ChatGPT is a conversational AI made by OpenAI that caused a global sensation when launched in November 2022. It gained explosive popularity, reaching 1 million users within just 5 days of launch.

Why is it so popular? Because it's incredibly easy to use. No complex setup or difficult commands needed. Just visit the website and talk to it like texting a friend. Even people who know nothing about programming or aren't computer-savvy can use it in 5 minutes.

Getting Started

1. Visit chat.openai.com
2. Quick signup with Google or email (takes just 1 minute)
3. Type anything in the chat box

The signup process is really simple. All you need is an email address, and if you have a Google account, you can sign up with just one click. No separate app installation needed. You can use it right away with just a web browser.

Me: Hi, what kind of chatbot are you?
ChatGPT: Hello! I'm ChatGPT.
I'm a conversational AI made by OpenAI that can help with various tasks
like answering questions, writing, or coding.

Pretty natural, right?

Try Having Fun Conversations

Beyond simple questions, try asking it to do things like this:

Me: I'm so tired lately. Say something to cheer me up.
ChatGPT: You must be exhausted. You've worked hard today.
Take a moment to breathe, how about a warm cup of tea?
Tomorrow will surely be better than today. Keep going!

This way, chatbots can understand context and provide empathetic responses.

Second Experience: Claude

Claude is a chatbot made by Anthropic. It's similar to ChatGPT, but many say it gives more thoughtful and considerate responses.

Getting Started

1. Visit claude.ai
2. Simple signup with email
3. Start chatting

Me: Recommend 5 blog topics for me.
Claude: Here are some blog topic recommendations:

1. 10-Minute Home Stretching Routines
2. Beginner's Guide to Balcony Gardening
3. Quick Meals in 30 Minutes After Work
4. Creating Your Own Study Routine
5. Weekend Cafes Near Seoul Worth Visiting

Let me know if you need more specific topics!

Claude is especially good at providing lists and organized responses.

Third Experience: Poe.com

Poe is a platform where you can experience multiple AI chatbots in one place. You can compare and use various chatbots like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini.

Getting Started

1. Visit poe.com
2. Sign up and select your desired chatbot
3. Start chatting

Me: Recommend something simple for dinner tonight.
Poe (ChatGPT): How about kimchi fried rice?
You can whip it up in 10 minutes with ingredients from your fridge!

Me: (Switch to Claude)
Me: Same question
Poe (Claude): I recommend a rice bowl with egg.
All you need is rice, eggs, and soy sauce - done in 5 minutes.

It's interesting how each chatbot responds differently to the same question!

Real Example: Daily Conversation Test

Now let's actually chat with a chatbot! Here's a real conversation I had with ChatGPT.

Me: I want to start exercising but don't know where to begin.

ChatGPT: Great that you want to start exercising!
If you're a beginner, try this:

1. Set a goal: Weight loss? Building strength? Staying healthy?
2. Start light: Begin with 20 minutes of walking daily
3. Stretching is essential: To prevent injuries
4. 3-4 times a week regularly
5. Don't overdo it

What kind of exercise are you interested in? I can help more specifically!

Me: I think something I can do at home would be good.

ChatGPT: Then bodyweight exercises are perfect!

Beginner routine:
- Squats 15 reps × 3 sets
- Push-ups 10 reps × 3 sets (knees down is OK)
- Plank 30 seconds × 3 sets
- Lunges 10 reps each leg × 3 sets

Rest 1 minute between sets, and do this every other day.
There are lots of good "home workout" videos on YouTube!

The conversation continues like this, and you can get the information you want.

Tips for Chatting with Chatbots

1. Be Specific

Bad example:

Me: Recommend something.

Good example:

Me: Recommend 3 self-help books good for people in their 30s working office jobs.

2. Continue the Conversation

Chatbots remember previous conversations. Don't ask everything at once - ask step by step.

Me: I want to start a blog.
Chatbot: What topic would you like to write about?
Me: A cooking blog.
Chatbot: Great! Cooking for beginners, or special recipes?
Me: Simple cooking for busy office workers.
Chatbot: Perfect! How about content like this...

3. Assign a Role

Me: You're now a kind cooking teacher.
Explain to me like I'm a complete beginner.

Chatbot: Got it!
What shall we make today? I'll explain step by step.

Giving it a role helps you get more tailored responses.

Free vs Paid - What's the Difference?

Most chatbot services let you start for free. But paid versions offer more features.

Free Version

• Basic chat functionality
• Daily usage limits
• Can be slow sometimes
• Uses basic models

Paid Version (ChatGPT Plus, Claude Pro, etc.)

• Access to latest models
• Faster response times
• Unlimited usage
• Additional features like image generation, file uploads

For beginners, the free version is enough. You can upgrade to paid later if you need more.

Your First Chatbot Conversation Mission

After reading this, try it yourself!

Mission 1: Sign up and say hi

• Choose either ChatGPT or Claude
• Sign up and have your first greeting

Mission 2: Ask 3 questions

• 1 casual question
• 1 information-seeking question
• 1 creative question

Mission 3: Continue the conversation

• Go back and forth at least 5 times on one topic

Example:

1. Me: I want to make pasta.
2. Chatbot: What kind of pasta?
3. Me: Tomato pasta.
4. Chatbot: I'll tell you the ingredients...
5. Me: How do I cook the noodles?
6. Chatbot: In boiling water...

Preview of Next Post

Today we experienced basic chatbots. In the next post, we'll cover creating chatbots that respond like specific characters.

Wouldn't it be fun to create chatbots that talk like your favorite movie character or historical figure?

Wrapping Up

Chatbots aren't just science fiction anymore. They're right in your hands now.

It might feel awkward at first, but you'll get used to it quickly after a few conversations. Just like making new friends.

The important thing is to try it yourself. After reading this post, invest just 5 minutes to start a conversation with a chatbot. It'll be much more fun than you think.

See you in the next post with more exciting chatbot creation!

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Related Posts:

• [Next] Creating Chatbots That Respond Like Specific Characters
• AI Tool Utilization Series

If you have questions or experiences to share, please leave a comment!