Build a Continuous AI Chatbot in Python (Lesson 12)

By /

What You Will Build

In the previous lesson, your chatbot could answer only one question. After giving the answer, the program stopped. In this lesson, you’ll improve the chatbot so that it keeps running. You can ask multiple questions without restarting the program. By the end of this lesson, your chatbot will work like this:

You: What is Python?

AI: Python is a programming language...

You: Who created Python?

AI: Guido van Rossum created Python...

You: exit

Goodbye!

This is a big improvement because the chatbot now behaves more like a real chat application.

Before You Start

Before continuing, make sure:

  • Python is installed.
  • The OpenAI Python SDK is installed.
  • Your app.py file from Lesson 12 is working.
  • Your OpenAI API key is ready.

Why Do We Need a Loop?

Think about a conversation with a friend. You don’t ask one question and walk away. You keep talking until one of you decides to end the conversation. A chatbot works the same way.

Instead of running only once, we’ll make our program repeat the same steps:

  1. Wait for a question.
  2. Send it to the AI.
  3. Show the answer.
  4. Wait for the next question.

Python gives us a simple way to repeat code using a while loop.

Step 1: Find This Line

Open your app.py file.

You’ll see this line from the previous lesson.

user_message = input("You: ")

Right now, it runs only once. We’re going to change that.

Step 2: Add a While Loop

Replace the single input line with this code.

while True:
    user_message = input("You: ")

What does while True mean?

It tells Python:

“Keep running this code again and again until I tell you to stop.”

At this point, your program will keep asking for input forever. We’ll add a way to exit in the next step.

Step 3: Let the User Exit

Add these lines immediately after input().

if user_message.lower() == "exit":
    print("Goodbye!")
    break

How does this work?

If the user types:

exit

the program prints:

Goodbye!

and break stops the loop. Now the user can end the chatbot whenever they want.

Step 4: Move the AI Code Inside the Loop

Your chatbot should answer every question. So move the API request and the print() statement inside the while loop. Your program should now look like this:

from openai import OpenAI

client = OpenAI(
    api_key="YOUR_API_KEY"
)

while True:

    user_message = input("You: ")

    if user_message.lower() == "exit":
        print("Goodbye!")
        break

    response = client.responses.create(
        model="gpt-5",
        input=user_message
    )

    print("\nAI:", response.output_text)

Try It Yourself

Run the program.

Ask a few questions.

You: What is HTML?

AI: HTML is the standard language used to create web pages.

You: Explain CSS.

AI: CSS is used to style web pages.

You: What is Python?

AI: Python is a beginner-friendly programming language.

You: exit

Goodbye!

Notice that the program doesn’t stop after the first answer.

What Changed?

Compared to the previous lesson, we added only two new ideas:

  • A while loop to keep the chatbot running.
  • A break statement to stop it when the user types exit.

Everything else is exactly the same. That’s how real software is built—small improvements, one step at a time.

Common Errors

The chatbot exits immediately

Make sure you’re typing exit only when you want to close the program.

IndentationError

Everything inside the while loop must be indented by the same number of spaces.

VS Code usually does this automatically.

The chatbot answers only once

Check that the API request and print() statement are inside the while loop.

Key Points

  • A while loop repeats the same code.
  • break stops the loop.
  • Your chatbot can now answer multiple questions.
  • The project is becoming more useful with each lesson.

Mini Quiz

1. Which keyword repeats the code?

A. for

B. repeat

C. while

D. loop

Answer: C

2. Which keyword stops the loop?

A. stop

B. break

C. end

D. exit

Answer: B

3. What should the user type to close the chatbot in this lesson?

Answer: exit

4. Does the chatbot still answer only one question?

Answer: No.

5. What is the biggest improvement in this lesson?

A. Better design

B. Continuous conversation

C. Faster internet

D. New API key

Answer: B

Practice Exercise

Run your chatbot and ask at least five different questions.

For example:

  • What is Java?
  • Explain recursion.
  • Give me three SQL interview questions.
  • Suggest a Python project.
  • Write a short motivational quote.

Finally, type:

exit

to close the chatbot.

Lesson Summary

Great job!

Your chatbot is no longer limited to a single question. It can now continue the conversation until the user decides to exit. This small change makes your project feel much more like a real chatbot.

Written by Shubhranshu Shekhar, who has trained 20000+ students in coding.

Related Posts

Scroll to Top