How to Add Chat History Context to ChatGPT API Calls

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Introduction

OpenAI's ChatGPT API enables you to seamlessly integrate an AI chat functionality into your apps and websites. One compelling example of such an integration is the website called smartdiary.co, which I developed. This project allows users to converse with an AI about their diary entries.

For instance, you can ask the AI, "What did I achieve on this day?" After a few moments, it provides a thoughtful response. Additionally, just like in ChatGPT, you can continue the conversation, and AI will retain the context from previous replies. For example, if you follow up with, "Can you elaborate on tour?" the AI will refer back to a previous point it made and provide a detailed explanation.

However, it's crucial to note that by default, the OpenAI API does not have a built-in memory to remember previous chat messages. To achieve this conversational context, you need to send the entire chat history along with each new request.

In my example, I pass an array of chat messages that includes all the previous messages displayed in the chat box. These preceding messages are sent along with the new request to the ChatGPT API. This approach allows the back-and-forth interaction where the AI 'remembers' the context of the conversation.

The caveat to this method is that as the chat history grows longer, you will be sending more text data with each request, which increases costs. If you want to try out my Smart Diary app, you can visit smartdiary.co. Let me know what you think about it!

Keywords

OpenAI
ChatGPT API
AI chat functionality
conversational context
chat history
Smart Diary app

FAQ

Q1. What is the default behavior of the OpenAI API regarding chat history?

The default behavior of the OpenAI API does not include remembering previous chat messages. Each API call is stateless by default.

Q2. How can one make the AI retain the context of the conversation?

To make the AI retain the context, you need to send the entire chat history along with each new request to the ChatGPT API.

Q3. What are the downsides of sending the entire chat history with each request?

The downside is that as the chat history grows, you have to send more text data, increasing the cost of the API calls.

Q4. Can I try out an example of this functionality?

Yes, you can try out an example by visiting the website smartdiary.co which demonstrates this chat history context feature.

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