How to Build Your Own GPT Voice Conversation Chatbot (GPT-VCC)

July 17, 2020

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the steps to create a personal voice conversation chatbot using the GPT-VCC framework. This tool not only allows you to engage in conversation through your microphone but also retains the context of your discussions, providing a richer interaction experience.

Getting Started with GPT-VCC

Before diving into the setup process, it’s crucial to understand that this tool uses OpenAI’s API. Think of the API as a library where your chatbot can borrow the intelligence of ChatGPT or GPT-4. Just like you need a library card to borrow books, you need a valid OpenAI API key to use GPT-VCC.

Installation Steps

Here are the steps to install GPT-VCC based on your operating system:

1. Acquire Your OpenAI API Key

Visit OpenAI’s API page.
Create an account and log in.
Click on the circle next to “Personal” in the upper right corner, then select “View API keys”.
Click “Create new secret key” and save it securely. This is your access passport to the API.

2. Installation on Windows

Download Python from python.org.
Download the GPT-VCC repository (you can choose to clone it or download the ZIP).
Extract the contents and navigate to the folder containing the files.
Open a terminal window (Windows Terminal or PowerShell) at this directory.

Run the command:

pip install -r requirements.txt --upgrade

Ensure that you have your OpenAI API key ready.

3. Installation on Linux (Debian/Ubuntu)

Open a terminal and install pip3:
```
sudo apt install python3-pip
```
Download the GPT-VCC repository using the methods mentioned previously.
Extract the files and navigate to the directory.
Edit the requirements.txt file to remove the line containing pyaudio==0.2.13.
Install pyaudio:
```
sudo apt install python3-pyaudio
```
Install espeak:
```
sudo apt install espeak
```
Finally, upgrade the remaining requirements:
```
pip3 install -r requirements.txt --upgrade
```

Using GPT-VCC

Once you’ve successfully installed GPT-VCC, follow these steps to start a conversation:

Open your terminal and navigate to the bot’s folder.
Run the bot using the command:
```
python main.py your_api_key
```
Alternatively, you can place your key in the keys.txt file for convenience.

After executing the command, a Pygame GUI will appear. It’s like a traffic light guiding your conversations:

🔴 Red = Not Listening

🟡 Yellow = Loading

🟢 Green = Listening

Feel free to speak when the light is green!

Key Commands

Your chatbot comes equipped with several commands for enhancing your interaction:

**SPACEBAR**: Start/stop recording your speech.
**ESCAPE**: Exit without saving any details.
**Q**: Quit while saving your conversation history.

Troubleshooting

Like any technology, you may face a few hiccups along the way. Here are some common issues and solutions:

Bot not responding: Ensure that your OpenAI API key is active and correctly set up. You can check the status of OpenAI’s API on OpenAI Status.
Latency issues: If you experience delays, this could be due to temporary problems with OpenAI’s moderation API. Try again later.
Environment setup errors: Double-check that all dependencies were installed correctly, and confirm that your terminal is pointing to the right directory.

For more insights, updates, or to collaborate on AI development projects, stay connected with **fxis.ai**.

Conclusion

By following these steps, you can create your own engaging voice conversation chatbot using GPT-VCC, making conversations with AI more interactive and personalized. Remember that this project may not have all the latest features, but it allows you to experience a unique interaction style with OpenAI’s powerful models.

At **fxis.ai**, we believe that such advancements are crucial for the future of AI, as they enable more comprehensive and effective solutions. Our team is continually exploring new methodologies to push the envelope in artificial intelligence, ensuring that our clients benefit from the latest technological innovations.