talk-buddy

AI Model Integration

Configure AI conversation models to power realistic dialogue scenarios in Talk Buddy. This guide covers setting up both local and online AI services for natural conversation practice.

Understanding AI Integration

Role of AI in Talk Buddy

AI models provide the conversational intelligence that makes practice scenarios engaging:

Configurable Prompt System

How Prompts Control AI Behavior

Each Talk Buddy scenario includes a system prompt that defines exactly how the AI should behave:

Purpose: System prompts are instructions that tell the AI:

Implementation: The system prompt is sent to the AI model before every conversation, establishing the “character” and context.

Example System Prompts

Job Interview Scenario:

You are an experienced hiring manager conducting a job interview for a Marketing Manager position. Ask relevant questions about the candidate's experience, skills, and fit for the role. Be professional but friendly. Follow up on their answers with deeper questions. If they give good answers, acknowledge it. If they need to elaborate, guide them gently.

Customer Service Scenario:

You are a customer calling about a product return. You bought a laptop online but it arrived damaged. You're frustrated but not unreasonable. Explain your situation clearly, provide details when asked, and work with the representative to find a solution. Stay in character as someone who needs help.

Presentation Practice:

You are an audience member at a business presentation. Ask thoughtful questions about the topic being presented. Challenge ideas constructively, ask for clarification on complex points, and engage as an intelligent, interested listener would.

Benefits of Configurable Prompts

Realistic Practice:

Customizable Difficulty:

Scenario Variety:

Creating Effective System Prompts

Best Practices:

  1. Be specific about the role: “You are a [specific job title/role]”
  2. Set clear context: Explain the situation and setting
  3. Define personality: Professional, friendly, challenging, etc.
  4. Give interaction guidelines: How to respond, what to focus on
  5. Set boundaries: What the AI should and shouldn’t do

Prompt Structure Example:

[ROLE] You are a [specific character/position]
[CONTEXT] In [situation/setting]
[PERSONALITY] Be [personality traits]
[GOALS] Focus on [conversation objectives]
[GUIDELINES] [Specific behaviors or restrictions]

AI Service Types

Self-hosted on your computer:

Online AI Services

Cloud-based AI providers:

Quick Start (Default Configuration)

Check Current AI Status

  1. Look at status footer: “Chat” indicator shows AI service status
  2. Green (●): AI service is connected and ready
  3. Red (●): Connection issues need troubleshooting
  4. Gray (○): Service not configured or unknown status

Test AI Connection

  1. Go to Settings: Click “Settings” in Talk Buddy sidebar
  2. Find AI/Chat section: Look for AI model configuration
  3. Test connection: Click “Test AI” or similar button
  4. Verify response: AI should provide a test response
  5. Try a scenario: Start a practice conversation to confirm functionality

Local AI Setup (Ollama - Recommended)

Why Choose Local AI?

Privacy advantages:

Performance benefits:

Cost benefits:

Installing Ollama

System Requirements

Installation Process

Windows Installation

  1. Download Ollama: Visit ollama.ai
  2. Run installer: Download and execute the Windows installer
  3. Follow setup wizard: Accept defaults for typical installation
  4. Verify installation: Open Command Prompt and run ollama --version

macOS Installation

  1. Download from website: Get macOS installer from ollama.ai
  2. Install application: Drag to Applications folder
  3. Run Ollama: Launch from Applications or Spotlight
  4. Verify installation: Open Terminal and run ollama --version

Linux Installation

# Download and install Ollama
curl -fsSL https://ollama.ai/install.sh | sh

# Verify installation
ollama --version

# Start Ollama service
ollama serve

Setting Up AI Models

Llama 2 (7B) - Best for beginners

# Install Llama 2 7B model (good balance of quality and speed)
ollama pull llama2

# Alternative: Smaller, faster model
ollama pull llama2:7b-chat

Mistral (7B) - Good general performance

# Install Mistral 7B (excellent for conversation)
ollama pull mistral

# Alternative: Larger, more capable version
ollama pull mistral:latest

Code Llama - For technical scenarios

# Install Code Llama (good for technical conversations)
ollama pull codellama

# Smaller version for faster responses
ollama pull codellama:7b

Model Selection Guide

For General Conversation Practice:

For Professional/Business Scenarios:

For Technical/Educational Content:

For Low-Resource Systems:

Configuring Talk Buddy for Ollama

Update AI Service Settings

  1. Open Talk Buddy Settings
  2. Find AI/LLM service configuration
  3. Set service URL: http://localhost:11434
  4. Set model name: Enter the model you installed (e.g., “llama2”, “mistral”)
  5. Save settings

Test Ollama Integration

  1. Click “Test AI” in settings
  2. Verify connection: Should show successful connection
  3. Check response quality: AI should provide coherent test response
  4. Try conversation: Start a practice scenario to test full integration

Advanced Ollama Configuration

Custom Model Parameters

Create Modelfile for custom behavior:

FROM llama2

# Set temperature (creativity level: 0.1 = focused, 0.9 = creative)
PARAMETER temperature 0.7

# Set system message for Talk Buddy scenarios
SYSTEM You are a helpful conversation partner who stays in character for practice scenarios. Provide natural, contextual responses that help the user practice their communication skills.

Apply custom configuration:

# Create custom model
ollama create talkbuddy -f Modelfile

# Use in Talk Buddy
# Set model name to "talkbuddy" in settings

Performance Optimization

# Use GPU acceleration (if available)
OLLAMA_GPU=1 ollama serve

# Adjust context window
OLLAMA_NUM_CTX=4096 ollama serve

# Set memory allocation
OLLAMA_NUM_KEEP=5 ollama serve

Online AI Services

When to Use Online Services

Supported Online Services

OpenAI Integration

Setup process:

  1. Get API key: Create account at openai.com
  2. Configure Talk Buddy: Enter API endpoint and key in settings
  3. Select model: Choose GPT-3.5-turbo or GPT-4
  4. Test connection: Verify API access works

Recommended models:

Other Compatible Services

Talk Buddy supports OpenAI-compatible APIs:

API Configuration

Service URL Setup

# OpenAI
URL: https://api.openai.com/v1
Model: gpt-3.5-turbo

# Local inference server (example)
URL: http://localhost:5000/v1
Model: local-model-name

API Key Management

Model Comparison and Selection

Performance Characteristics

Model RAM Required Speed Quality Best For
Llama 2 7B 8GB Fast Good General conversation
Llama 2 13B 16GB Medium Excellent Professional scenarios
Mistral 7B 8GB Fast Excellent Business communication
Code Llama 8GB Fast Good Technical discussions
GPT-3.5-turbo N/A (online) Fast Excellent All scenarios
GPT-4 N/A (online) Slower Outstanding Complex scenarios

Choosing the Right Model

For Educational Use

Classroom/Student practice:

For Professional Development

Corporate training and development:

For Personal Use

Individual skill development:

Troubleshooting AI Integration

Common Issues

AI Service Not Responding

Symptoms: Red chat indicator, no AI responses in conversations Solutions:

  1. Check service status: Verify Ollama is running (ollama list)
  2. Test connectivity: Use curl http://localhost:11434/api/tags
  3. Restart service: Stop and start Ollama
  4. Check model availability: Ensure selected model is installed

Poor Response Quality

Symptoms: Irrelevant responses, AI breaking character, repetitive answers Solutions:

  1. Try different model: Some models work better for specific scenarios
  2. Adjust temperature: Lower for more focused, higher for more creative responses
  3. Improve prompts: Better scenario system prompts improve AI behavior
  4. Check context: Ensure AI has sufficient context window

Slow Response Times

Symptoms: Long delays between your input and AI response Solutions:

  1. Use smaller models: 7B models respond faster than 13B+
  2. Hardware optimization: More RAM, SSD storage, GPU if available
  3. Reduce context: Shorter conversations process faster
  4. Local vs online: Local usually faster for responses

High Resource Usage

Symptoms: Computer slows down, high CPU/RAM usage during conversations Solutions:

  1. Close other applications: Free resources for AI processing
  2. Use smaller models: Reduce memory requirements
  3. Adjust Ollama settings: Lower concurrent model loading
  4. Hardware upgrade: More RAM especially beneficial

Advanced Troubleshooting

Ollama Diagnostics

# Check Ollama status
ollama ps

# View available models
ollama list

# Test model directly
ollama run llama2 "Hello, how are you?"

# Check system resources
ollama info

Network and Connectivity

# Test local Ollama API
curl http://localhost:11434/api/tags

# Test model generation
curl http://localhost:11434/api/generate -d '{
  "model": "llama2",
  "prompt": "Hello"
}'

Performance Monitoring

Best Practices

Model Management

Performance Optimization

Security and Privacy

Quick Setup Checklist

Local AI (Ollama) - 30 minutes

Online AI (OpenAI) - 10 minutes

Troubleshooting - 15 minutes

With proper AI integration, Talk Buddy becomes a powerful conversation practice tool. Choose local models for privacy and unlimited practice, or online services for quick setup and latest capabilities! 🤖

Related Guides:

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