Please help me build a chatbot

[frankinaround]

Yo whats up. I need help building a chat bot in python.

I put together a 'special engine' (terms I found while searching the web- special and matrix engine(they translate user input))

basicly the special engine is a bunch of sentences that each have a few responses attached to them. If you say the sentence it uses random.choice to pick one of the responses and then sends it to you.

then I have a past response engine. It records what you say and what the responses were, and if you say it again it will give you the same answer it gave you last time but with some text at the front like : 'I already told you that ...'.

But what im trying to figure out is how to build some code that can understand and respond to the input in different ways.

Take the word hate: If you say I hate you, it recognizes hate and responds with anger, but if you say I hate myself it still responds with anger because its only recognizing the word hate. The rest of the sentence does not matter.

So can you guys please give me any tips to help me design my chatbot?

[ultimatebuster]

you haven't really shown any effort.. what you are asking is really an AI, which is quite complicated.

[griswolf]

Start emacs. Type M-x doctor (escape, x, space, "doctor"). You want something like that. Now go look at the lisp code and do it in python.

I am the psychotherapist. Please, describe your problems. Each time you are
finished talking, type RET twice.

>> I am trying to write an AI program in Python

Why do you say that?

>> Because I *am* trying to write an AI program in Python

I don't understand.

>> You so are full of it!

Maybe your plans have something to do with this.

Indeed, my plan is to write an AI program. In Python.

What makes you believe in python?

[TrustyTony]

If you have not emacs, this site has eliza in python and also this chatbot:
http://www.jezuk.co.uk/cgi-bin/view/software/whereskal

The eliza uses whrandom, but just use replace whole words whrandom -> random, and it looks behaving OK.
(I could have done import whrandom as random ) The code is little old style with maps with lambda and string.split's. Would be good practise to transform to list comprehensions.

#----------------------------------------------------------------------
#  eliza.py
#
#  a cheezy little Eliza knock-off by Joe Strout <[e-mail]>
#  with some updates by Jeff Epler <[e-mail]>
#  hacked into a module and updated by Jez Higgins <[e-mail]>
#  last revised: 28 February 2005
#----------------------------------------------------------------------

import string
import re
import random

class eliza:
  def __init__(self):
    self.keys = map(lambda x:re.compile(x[0], re.IGNORECASE),gPats)
    self.values = map(lambda x:x[1],gPats)

  #----------------------------------------------------------------------
  # translate: take a string, replace any words found in dict.keys()
  #  with the corresponding dict.values()
  #----------------------------------------------------------------------
  def translate(self,str,dict):
    words = string.split(string.lower(str))
    keys = dict.keys();
    for i in range(0,len(words)):
      if words[i] in keys:
        words[i] = dict[words[i]]
    return string.join(words)

  #----------------------------------------------------------------------
  #  respond: take a string, a set of regexps, and a corresponding
  #    set of response lists; find a match, and return a randomly
  #    chosen response from the corresponding list.
  #----------------------------------------------------------------------
  def respond(self,str):
    # find a match among keys
    for i in range(0,len(self.keys)):
      match = self.keys[i].match(str)
      if match:
        # found a match ... stuff with corresponding value
        # chosen randomly from among the available options
        resp = random.choice(self.values[i])
        # we've got a response... stuff in reflected text where indicated
        pos = string.find(resp,'%')
        while pos > -1:
          num = string.atoi(resp[pos+1:pos+2])
          resp = resp[:pos] + \
            self.translate(match.group(num),gReflections) + \
            resp[pos+2:]
          pos = string.find(resp,'%')
        # fix munged punctuation at the end
        if resp[-2:] == '?.': resp = resp[:-2] + '.'
        if resp[-2:] == '??': resp = resp[:-2] + '?'
        return resp

#----------------------------------------------------------------------
# gReflections, a translation table used to convert things you say
#    into things the computer says back, e.g. "I am" --> "you are"
#----------------------------------------------------------------------
gReflections = {
  "am"   : "are",
  "was"  : "were",
  "i"    : "you",
  "i'd"  : "you would",
  "i've"  : "you have",
  "i'll"  : "you will",
  "my"  : "your",
  "are"  : "am",
  "you've": "I have",
  "you'll": "I will",
  "your"  : "my",
  "yours"  : "mine",
  "you"  : "me",
  "me"  : "you"
}

#----------------------------------------------------------------------
# gPats, the main response table.  Each element of the list is a
#  two-element list; the first is a regexp, and the second is a
#  list of possible responses, with group-macros labelled as
#  %1, %2, etc.  
#----------------------------------------------------------------------
gPats = [
  [r'I need (.*)',
  [  "Why do you need %1?",
    "Would it really help you to get %1?",
    "Are you sure you need %1?"]],
  
  [r'Why don\'?t you ([^\?]*)\??',
  [  "Do you really think I don't %1?",
    "Perhaps eventually I will %1.",
    "Do you really want me to %1?"]],
  
  [r'Why can\'?t I ([^\?]*)\??',
  [  "Do you think you should be able to %1?",
    "If you could %1, what would you do?",
    "I don't know -- why can't you %1?",
    "Have you really tried?"]],
  
  [r'I can\'?t (.*)',
  [  "How do you know you can't %1?",
    "Perhaps you could %1 if you tried.",
    "What would it take for you to %1?"]],
  
  [r'I am (.*)',
  [  "Did you come to me because you are %1?",
    "How long have you been %1?",
    "How do you feel about being %1?"]],
  
  [r'I\'?m (.*)',
  [  "How does being %1 make you feel?",
    "Do you enjoy being %1?",
    "Why do you tell me you're %1?",
    "Why do you think you're %1?"]],
  
  [r'Are you ([^\?]*)\??',
  [  "Why does it matter whether I am %1?",
    "Would you prefer it if I were not %1?",
    "Perhaps you believe I am %1.",
    "I may be %1 -- what do you think?"]],
  
  [r'What (.*)',
  [  "Why do you ask?",
    "How would an answer to that help you?",
    "What do you think?"]],
  
  [r'How (.*)',
  [  "How do you suppose?",
    "Perhaps you can answer your own question.",
    "What is it you're really asking?"]],
  
  [r'Because (.*)',
  [  "Is that the real reason?",
    "What other reasons come to mind?",
    "Does that reason apply to anything else?",
    "If %1, what else must be true?"]],
  
  [r'(.*) sorry (.*)',
  [  "There are many times when no apology is needed.",
    "What feelings do you have when you apologize?"]],
  
  [r'Hello(.*)',
  [  "Hello... I'm glad you could drop by today.",
    "Hi there... how are you today?",
    "Hello, how are you feeling today?"]],
  
  [r'I think (.*)',
  [  "Do you doubt %1?",
    "Do you really think so?",
    "But you're not sure %1?"]],
  
  [r'(.*) friend (.*)',
  [  "Tell me more about your friends.",
    "When you think of a friend, what comes to mind?",
    "Why don't you tell me about a childhood friend?"]],
  
  [r'Yes',
  [  "You seem quite sure.",
    "OK, but can you elaborate a bit?"]],
  
  [r'(.*) computer(.*)',
  [  "Are you really talking about me?",
    "Does it seem strange to talk to a computer?",
    "How do computers make you feel?",
    "Do you feel threatened by computers?"]],
  
  [r'Is it (.*)',
  [  "Do you think it is %1?",
    "Perhaps it's %1 -- what do you think?",
    "If it were %1, what would you do?",
    "It could well be that %1."]],
  
  [r'It is (.*)',
  [  "You seem very certain.",
    "If I told you that it probably isn't %1, what would you feel?"]],
  
  [r'Can you ([^\?]*)\??',
  [  "What makes you think I can't %1?",
    "If I could %1, then what?",
    "Why do you ask if I can %1?"]],
  
  [r'Can I ([^\?]*)\??',
  [  "Perhaps you don't want to %1.",
    "Do you want to be able to %1?",
    "If you could %1, would you?"]],
  
  [r'You are (.*)',
  [  "Why do you think I am %1?",
    "Does it please you to think that I'm %1?",
    "Perhaps you would like me to be %1.",
    "Perhaps you're really talking about yourself?"]],
  
  [r'You\'?re (.*)',
  [  "Why do you say I am %1?",
    "Why do you think I am %1?",
    "Are we talking about you, or me?"]],
  
  [r'I don\'?t (.*)',
  [  "Don't you really %1?",
    "Why don't you %1?",
    "Do you want to %1?"]],
  
  [r'I feel (.*)',
  [  "Good, tell me more about these feelings.",
    "Do you often feel %1?",
    "When do you usually feel %1?",
    "When you feel %1, what do you do?"]],
  
  [r'I have (.*)',
  [  "Why do you tell me that you've %1?",
    "Have you really %1?",
    "Now that you have %1, what will you do next?"]],
  
  [r'I would (.*)',
  [  "Could you explain why you would %1?",
    "Why would you %1?",
    "Who else knows that you would %1?"]],
  
  [r'Is there (.*)',
  [  "Do you think there is %1?",
    "It's likely that there is %1.",
    "Would you like there to be %1?"]],
  
  [r'My (.*)',
  [  "I see, your %1.",
    "Why do you say that your %1?",
    "When your %1, how do you feel?"]],
  
  [r'You (.*)',
  [  "We should be discussing you, not me.",
    "Why do you say that about me?",
    "Why do you care whether I %1?"]],
    
  [r'Why (.*)',
  [  "Why don't you tell me the reason why %1?",
    "Why do you think %1?" ]],
    
  [r'I want (.*)',
  [  "What would it mean to you if you got %1?",
    "Why do you want %1?",
    "What would you do if you got %1?",
    "If you got %1, then what would you do?"]],
  
  [r'(.*) mother(.*)',
  [  "Tell me more about your mother.",
    "What was your relationship with your mother like?",
    "How do you feel about your mother?",
    "How does this relate to your feelings today?",
    "Good family relations are important."]],
  
  [r'(.*) father(.*)',
  [  "Tell me more about your father.",
    "How did your father make you feel?",
    "How do you feel about your father?",
    "Does your relationship with your father relate to your feelings today?",
    "Do you have trouble showing affection with your family?"]],

  [r'(.*) child(.*)',
  [  "Did you have close friends as a child?",
    "What is your favorite childhood memory?",
    "Do you remember any dreams or nightmares from childhood?",
    "Did the other children sometimes tease you?",
    "How do you think your childhood experiences relate to your feelings today?"]],
    
  [r'(.*)\?',
  [  "Why do you ask that?",
    "Please consider whether you can answer your own question.",
    "Perhaps the answer lies within yourself?",
    "Why don't you tell me?"]],
  
  [r'quit',
  [  "Thank you for talking with me.",
    "Good-bye.",
    "Thank you, that will be $150.  Have a good day!"]],
  
  [r'(.*)',
  [  "Please tell me more.",
    "Let's change focus a bit... Tell me about your family.",
    "Can you elaborate on that?",
    "Why do you say that %1?",
    "I see.",
    "Very interesting.",
    "%1.",
    "I see.  And what does that tell you?",
    "How does that make you feel?",
    "How do you feel when you say that?"]]
  ]

#----------------------------------------------------------------------
#  command_interface
#----------------------------------------------------------------------
def command_interface():
  print "Therapist\n---------"
  print "Talk to the program by typing in plain English, using normal upper-"
  print 'and lower-case letters and punctuation.  Enter "quit" when done.'
  print '='*72
  print "Hello.  How are you feeling today?"
  s = ""
  therapist = eliza();
  while s != "quit":
    try: s = raw_input(">")
    except EOFError:
      s = "quit"
      print s
    while s[-1] in "!.": s = s[:-1]
    print therapist.respond(s)


if __name__ == "__main__":
  command_interface()

[frankinaround]

thanks alot man this code really helped

[Tech B]

I posted a snippet on IRC stuff. Could help with the protocol commands. I don use regex though, so its a bit messy with all the splitting and stripping.
link

Mine is more of a functional bot, not AI. It supports texting a cellphone, and translating languages via xgoogle.

[magnus.wootton]

HACKERS WAY TO BEAT THE TURING TEST->
If you do a google search with what the person says, scan files on the internet for a similar conversation, and try to keep attention span (a matching chain) whenever possible.

The other trick is the first part of WATSON, where you make groups where phrases mean the same thing, so it increases its word search potential.