Here come the AI chatbots

You may have noticed the rise in the number of chatbots over the past few months, mostly driven by the increasing versatility and reliability of Open AI's ChatGPT and competing artificial intelligences.

As AI continues to make its way into sector after sector at breakneck speed, businesses are turning to chatbots as a way to provide timely support, to enhance user experiences and to get customers the information they want in a timely fashion.

So today we're unveiling an AI chatbot for Authors A.I. You'll find the familiar-looking chat bubble at the bottom right of every page on the site, plus a dedicated page for querying our AI at authors.ai/chat.

The first thing people often ask is: Is this simply a front end that plugs into ChatGPT and I could just go to chat.openai.com to get the same answers?

Well, no.

What we have here is a blend or hybrid of traditional rules-based AI and generative AI.

Instead, what we have here is a blend or hybrid of traditional rules-based AI and generative AI. In the bad old days, we all remember what I call dumb bots — chatbots that were programmed to respond to specific keywords or phrases with predefined answers. You ask it a question and nine times out of ten it'll spit back an unhelpful answer. These are still the predominant kind of chatbots that adorn company websites like a perplexing set of garden gnomes.

Needless to say, we didn't want that.

ChatGPT changes the game

Enter ChatGPT. At first, we naively thought we could just hook ChatGPT's API into our site, add a few instructions, and we'd be off to the races. But it doesn't really work that way, at least not yet.

First, you need a developer to pull this off, and our developers and data scientists are busy developing our product, thank you very much. As Solulab points out, here are the required steps to integrate ChatGPT into your website:

Not an easy task!

Second, there are severe limitations on the number of tokens (data) it allows you to upload when you want to tailor and train your GPT to focus on your product and your customers. I mean, ridiculously severe limits.

Third, it often overrides the data and resources you trained it on to go out onto the Web and fashion an answer that can be wildly off.

I doubt many companies or small or midsize businesses will want to do that.

Customized GPTs to the rescue

Fortunately, there's an ecosystem springing up around ChatGPT to provide the kind of tailored services that Open AI doesn't seem capable of providing at scale. While there are several providers that tap into the power of ChatGPT, the one that impressed us the most was ChatBase.

With ChatBase, you sign up for a subscription — $19 per month for the hobby plan, $99 for the standard plan — and you can get a chatbot set up in a matter of minutes. No designing the interface. No training the model. Just go to your bot and start uploading the files or website links you want it to ingest. The hobby plan comes with GPT 3.5 Turbo. So far, we've uploaded 1.49 million characters of our 11 million allotment.

Team members were concerned that ChatGPT 3.5, as a large language model, would tap into all the crazy stuff on the Web, offering authors misinformation about writing, book publishing, narrative fiction and the like. But here's where less is more.

ChatBase basically gives you a GPT that knows how to synthesize information and summarize, organize and present it in a smart useful way. But its content database is essentially empty — a tabula rasa — so it only knows what you (the publisher) feed into it.

ChatBase is a bit coy about how this all works in the back end. My guess is that they went through a vetting process as a trusted third-party vendor and that ChatBase splits its subscription revenue with Open AI, freeing Open AI to focus on improving its models while companies like ChatBase are the customer-facing front end that provides an easy way for businesses, individuals and organizations to stand up a chatbot with no muss, no fuss.

Authors A.I. chatbot in action

Here's an example of the Authors A.I. chatbot in action:

Q: How do I overcome writer's block?

Chatbot: Ah, overcoming writer's block can be a common challenge for many writers. One approach that can be helpful is the STICK framework, which stands for Self-belief, Time management, Inspiration, Creativity, and Knowledge. By addressing these underlying factors, you can potentially overcome writer's block. Additionally, setting manageable goals, utilizing productivity hacks like writing sprints, and creating a dedicated writing space can also contribute to avoiding writer's block. Remember, even short, focused writing sessions can make a significant difference.

Our chatbot tapped into Authors A.I.'s rich set of resources, including blog posts, articles, podcasts and interviews with authors. In this case, the STICK framework solution came out of a First Draft Friday episode on writer's block with writing coach and author Jeff Deck.

Here's another:

Q: how can i improve my productivity as an author?

Chatbot: Ah, as an author, there are several productivity hacks you can implement to improve your productivity. Here are six key tips:

1. Claim your space: Stake out a dedicated writing space in your home where you can focus and ask family members to avoid interrupting your creative "me time."
2. Try writing sprints: Utilize techniques like the Pomodoro Method, where you write in 25-minute bursts without self-editing. Take breaks and begin another sprint. This can help you get words on the page consistently.
3. Measure word counts: Keep track of how many words you write during each writing session or sprint. Setting goals and tracking your progress over time can motivate you to write more.
4. Use productivity apps: Consider using apps like Be Focused (for iOS) or Focus To-Do (for Android) to help maintain focus and manage your time effectively. You can also use your phone's built-in timer or an actual egg timer.
5. Consider alternative writing tools: Some authors find that using distraction-free writing tools like the Alphasmart 3000 or Neo product line can help enhance focus and eliminate distractions.
6. Create an ambient atmosphere: Set the mood for writing by using ambient soundscapes or music. Platforms like Brain.fm, Amazon Music, or myNoise can help create a conducive environment for writing.

By implementing these productivity hacks, you can enhance your efficiency and make progress in your writing endeavors.

These suggestions were culled from several posts and interviews with leading authors and assembled into a helpful answer by ChatGPT — but based solely on our own content. It was not a canned, preprogrammed reply.

That's the power of AI. Pretty cool.

Check out Authors A.I.'s chatbot ... then go build one for your own site!

J.D. Lasica is an entrepreneur and the author of Biohack, Catch and Kill and Firefall. This article was not written or edited with AI.