BisonBot: Your Howard Information Guide

Overview

BisonBot is an AI-powered chatbot designed to enhance the user experience on Howard University's website. By addressing the challenges of navigation and accessibility, BisonBot provides a frictionless interface for students, faculty, and visitors to access information efficiently.

Currently, the website looks like this:

With the current setup, the bot is only accessible on a few web pages. But, with BisonBot we aim to make the feature available in a separate browser so users can ask Howard related questions and get responses.

Features

• Authentication: Users can sign in using GitHub and/or Google.
• Prompt Handling: Intuitive processing of user queries with response generation tailored to Howard's spirit.
• Accessibility: Toggle between light and dark themes, and read-aloud options.

Requirements

• Login and logout capabilities
• Responsive chat with history viewing and new tab initiation
• Accessibility features to support diverse user needs

Technologies Used

• GitHub OAuth: Ensures secure user authentication.
• Python and OpenAI API: For backend development and chat response handling.
• Chainlit: Enhance the front end and support real-time interactions.

Additional Features

• Third-Party Logins: Integration with platforms like Google and GitHub.
• User Identification: Custom responses based on user roles (students, parents, faculty)
• BisonBot Icon: Quick access chat window on all web pages.

Database Design

• Chat History Storage: Managed via Literal AI API.
• Vector Database: Chroma DB stores vector embeddings for efficient retrieval.
• User Information Storage: Managed by ChainLit’s Database.

User Interface

• Integration with GitHub/Google for login.
• Real-time chat interface with options for attachments and copying text.
• Toggle for light/dark mode.

Testing Strategy

• Predefined Benchmarks: Evaluate responses for accuracy, relevance, and tone.
• Prompt Variability Testing: Ensure diverse and contextually appropriate responses.
• Content Generation and Retrieval: Test for factual accuracy and up-to-date information.

Quick Start Guide

1. Clone the repository and navigate to the project directory.
2. Install dependencies: pip install -r requirements.txt.
3. Access BisonBot through localhost on your browser.