How to Build an AI Chatbot in 2026 (Python, 10 Minutes)

Building an AI chatbot has never been easier. With AIPower's OpenAI-compatible API, you can create a working chatbot in 10 minutes with just Python.

Step 1: Get Your API Key

Sign up free at aipower.me and grab your API key from the dashboard. No credit card needed.

Step 2: Install the SDK

pip install openai

Step 3: Build the Chatbot

from openai import OpenAI

client = OpenAI(
    base_url="https://api.aipower.me/v1",
    api_key="YOUR_API_KEY",
)

history = [{"role": "system", "content": "You are a helpful assistant."}]

print("AI Chatbot (type 'quit' to exit)")
while True:
    user_input = input("\nYou: ")
    if user_input.lower() == "quit":
        break

    history.append({"role": "user", "content": user_input})

    response = client.chat.completions.create(
        model="deepseek/deepseek-chat",  # $0.34/M tokens
        messages=history,
        stream=True,
    )

    print("AI: ", end="")
    full_response = ""
    for chunk in response:
        if chunk.choices[0].delta.content:
            content = chunk.choices[0].delta.content
            print(content, end="", flush=True)
            full_response += content

    history.append({"role": "assistant", "content": full_response})
    print()

Step 4: Choose Your Model

Swap deepseek/deepseek-chat with any model:

• auto — Let AI pick the best model
• openai/gpt-5.4 — Most capable
• anthropic/claude-sonnet — Best for code
• zhipu/glm-4-flash — Nearly free ($0.01/M)

Cost Estimate

A typical chatbot conversation uses ~2K tokens per exchange. With DeepSeek V3 at $0.34/M input:

• 1,000 conversations/day = ~$0.68/day
• With GLM-4 Flash = ~$0.02/day

Start building at aipower.me — 50 free API calls included.