Chatbot for Books: Top 8 Apps You Should Know (2024)
Are you an author who’s wondering if there are apps you can use to build a chatbot for your book? If so, this is the article for you to explore both no-code and low-code options.
AI is changing rapidly. These apps are the ones we have discovered recently to get you ahead. Please let us know what you think, and feel free to share apps you find helpful in creating chatbot for books.
There are several apps and tools that allow you to turn a book (or any text) into a chatbot. These apps typically use natural language processing (NLP) to convert content into an interactive, conversational format. However, it’s important to remember that not all apps listed below are specifically designed for books. Therefore you may need to apply some creative thinking in making them work for your book.
Here are a few options that you can use right away:
0. Custom ChatGPT
- How it works: By feeding the content of your book PDF into a language model like ChatGPT via its API, you can create a custom chatbot that can answer questions specifically about your book. This involves processing the text, segmenting it into manageable chunks, and integrating it with the AI model so it can reference the content during conversations.
- Where to start: Go to chat.openai.com and log in. (Here’s our comprehensive guide)
- Pros: Provides an interactive way for readers to delve deeper into the book’s content, fostering a more engaging experience. Makes the book’s content more accessible to those who prefer interactive dialogue over traditional reading.
- Cons: Sharing your book’s content with third-party services may raise intellectual property concerns. The AI might not perfectly interpret every query or provide accurate answers due to limitations in understanding context or nuances.
1. Chatbot Authoring Tools
These platforms provide ready-to-use templates and AI models that can help you turn a book into a chatbot with minimal technical skills.
1.1 ChatGPT by OpenAI (with API access)
- How it works: You can feed book content into a model like ChatGPT via its API, and it can be programmed to answer questions about the book in a conversational style. You’ll need some basic coding knowledge to set this up, or you can use a no-code chatbot platform that integrates with the OpenAI API.
- Where to start: Use OpenAI’s API documentation or a platform like Bubble to build the chatbot.
- Pros: Highly customizable; the AI is very capable of understanding and responding to book-related queries.
- Cons: Requires API integration and some coding.
1.2 Landbot.io
- How it works: Landbot is a no-code chatbot builder that allows you to create interactive chatbots easily. You can upload text content and guide users through sections of the book or allow them to ask questions. You can create decision trees, so the chatbot can simulate a conversation about the book.
- Where to start: You can start with their templates or build from scratch.
- Pros: No coding required, user-friendly, interactive elements.
- Cons: Not fully conversational like an AI chatbot, more of a guided experience.
1.3 Chatfuel
It’s important to note that Chatfuel primarily targets automation for social media. Supported platforms include WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook. While it can automate questions related to your book, it’s not an app where you can drop your book PDF and receive a chatbot in return and be able to embed everywhere (i.e. website).
- How it works: Chatfuel is another no-code chatbot builder that supports integrations with AI services. You can upload parts of the book and set up conversational flows where the user can ask questions and get responses based on the book content.
- Where to start: You can use templates and build the chatbot with flows.
- Pros: Simple setup, no-code.
- Cons: You may need to curate specific questions and answers manually.
1.4 Botpress
- How it works: Botpress is a powerful open-source chatbot development platform. You can upload large chunks of text from a book and train it to recognize specific user queries. It also supports NLP out of the box.
- Where to start: You can use their free version and deploy it for testing quickly.
- Pros: Open-source and flexible.
- Cons: More suited for developers but provides a lot of flexibility.
2. AI-Powered Summarization and Q&A Apps
These tools automatically summarize content and turn it into Q&A-style chatbots.
2.1. Replika (Custom Bot Version)
- How it works: Replika allows users to create custom versions of chatbots by providing content or creating personalities. While it’s generally more focused on general conversation, you can input content and create a bot based on the themes or topics in your book.
- Where to start: Customize a Replika bot by feeding it snippets or ideas from the book.
- Pros: No setup or coding required.
- Cons: Not fully customizable in terms of structure; might not handle large volumes of book content well.
2.2. Bookbot
- How it works: Bookbot is an app specifically designed for turning books into chat-based formats. Users can interact with the text conversationally, asking questions about the content and exploring various parts of the book.
- Where to start: Search for this app in app stores and start with a sample book. While it’s a good concept, currently it’s not open for any author to upload their books and easily turn them into chatbot content.
- Pros: Built specifically for books, makes Q&A easy.
- Cons: Limited customization options.
3. Apps for Creating AI Assistants with Book Content
These tools are AI-based platforms that help turn large documents (like books) into an AI assistant capable of answering questions based on the text.
3.1. Dialogflow (by Google Cloud)
- How it works: Dialogflow is a powerful platform for building AI chatbots. You can upload book content or connect to external APIs that store the book’s text, and Dialogflow can manage the conversational flow to respond to queries.
- Where to start: Use Google Cloud’s Dialogflow console, and upload the book or train the model on key sections.
- Pros: Advanced NLP capabilities, customizable to specific domains (like literature).
- Cons: Requires some setup, not fully no-code.
3.2. Rasa
- How it works: Rasa is an open-source platform that allows you to build conversational agents. You can feed the book into Rasa and train it to respond to user queries. It’s a more developer-focused tool but provides high flexibility and customization.
- Where to start: Install Rasa and follow their documentation to load the book and train a model.
- Pros: Highly customizable, open-source.
- Cons: Requires coding knowledge and setup time. Rasa is designed for corporations including enterprised. Their pricing information isn’t straightforward and likely to be quite expensive “Full access to Rasa Platform & Basic Support Starting at $35k”
Conclusion
- If you’re looking for a no-code, simple solution, tools like Landbot.io or Chatfuel will be easier to get started with.
- For more flexibility and advanced features, you could explore Dialogflow or OpenAI’s GPT-based services if you have some technical knowledge.
- For a more dedicated book-based solution, Replika could help you quickly create a conversational experience around a book.