I Built an Interactive AI Talking Avatar
People & Blogs
Introduction
Hello everyone! I'm Rob, and I'm thrilled to share with you an exciting project I've been working on. Today, we'll dive into the fascinating world of artificial intelligence as I guide you through the process of building my very own talking AI Avatar. Utilizing OpenAI's GPT API and Microsoft Azure's Cognitive Services API, along with web technologies like JavaScript, 3.js, and Node.js, we’re about to elevate conversational AI to a new level. Thank you for tuning in—let's dive right in!
The Project Foundation
I discovered a project on GitHub that served as the perfect starting point for what I aimed to create. This initial version allowed users to type a message into a text box, and the Avatar would replay it through speech. I enhanced this by integrating OpenAI’s GPT API, enabling our Avatar to respond intelligently to your inquiries.
Key Features
Speech Recognition
First, I integrated the Web Speech API, which transcribes spoken words into text. This allows users to ask questions using their voice, and the app converts the speech into written text.
Intelligent Responses
Next, the text request is sent to OpenAI's GPT API, where it analyzes the question and generates a response. For this project, I utilized the GPT-3.5 Turbo model. Here’s where it gets exciting: I employed the chat completion stream option. This feature means responses are delivered in chunks rather than waiting for the entire answer to be generated before returning it to the client. This clever approach significantly reduces user waiting times, making conversations with our AI Avatar feel seamless and interactive.
Real-Time Experience
For an even more engaging conversation, we pass the AI-generated response to Azure’s Cognitive Services API. This service analyzes the text, identifies phonemes, generates byte codes, converts the text to speech, and returns it to the front-end client. One of the standout features is that the conversation is continuous; the app retains the context, making interactions feel realistic and personal.
Avatar Animation
As you can see, the Avatar on the screen animates its mouth movements in sync with the spoken response, giving it a lifelike feel.
Example Interaction
For instance, if you ask, "What are the rules of basketball?", the Avatar would respond with a detailed overview covering team composition, objectives, dribbling, shooting, fouls, and the scoring system.
Another example includes historical questions such as "Who won the 1991 NBA Finals?" where the AI would provide the answer and further context about the game and its players.
Future Plans
I'm excited about the journey ahead. I plan to enhance the talking AI Avatar app by adding the functionality to change the Avatar and the background user interface. Furthermore, I’m considering porting this project to an iOS app in the future.
Stay tuned for further updates and exciting features! Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell to stay updated on more fantastic content.
Thanks for watching and happy coding!
Keywords
- AI
- Talking Avatar
- OpenAI
- GPT API
- Microsoft Azure
- Cognitive Services
- JavaScript
- Web Speech API
- Chat Completion Streaming
- Interactive Experience
FAQ
Q1: What technology stack did you use for the AI Avatar project?
A1: I utilized OpenAI's GPT API, Microsoft Azure's Cognitive Services API, JavaScript, 3.js, and Node.js.
Q2: What does the Web Speech API do in this project?
A2: The Web Speech API transcribes spoken words into text, allowing users to interact with the Avatar using voice commands.
Q3: How does the chat completion stream option enhance the experience?
A3: It allows the Avatar to return responses in chunks, which reduces waiting time and makes the conversation flow more smoothly.
Q4: Will there be future updates to the AI Avatar?
A4: Yes! I plan to add more features, including the ability to change the Avatar and background, and I’m exploring a version for iOS.
Q5: Can the AI Avatar retain the context of the conversation?
A5: Yes, the app retains context, making interactions feel continuous and more like a conversation with a real person.
