Basic Python AI API Example

# Complete example: call the OpenAI API from Python
# Install: pip install openai
# Set environment variable: set OPENAI_API_KEY=your-key-here

import os
from openai import OpenAI

def ask_ai(question, system_instruction=None, model="gpt-4o-mini"):
    """
    Send a question to the OpenAI API and return the AI's response.

    Parameters:
    - question: the user's question or prompt
    - system_instruction: how the AI should behave
    - model: which OpenAI model to use

    Returns:
    - str: the AI's text response, or an error message
    """
    # Load API key from environment variable (NEVER hardcode)
    api_key = os.environ.get("OPENAI_API_KEY")

    if not api_key:
        return "Error: OPENAI_API_KEY environment variable is not set."

    # Create the OpenAI client
    client = OpenAI(api_key=api_key)

    # Build the messages list
    messages = []

    if system_instruction:
        messages.append({
            "role": "system",
            "content": system_instruction
        })

    messages.append({
        "role": "user",
        "content": question
    })

    # Send the request to the API
    response = client.chat.completions.create(
        model=model,
        messages=messages,
        max_tokens=300,
        temperature=0.7
    )

    # Extract and return the text response
    return response.choices[0].message.content

# Example usage
if __name__ == "__main__":
    system = "You are a helpful tutor for beginners learning about Generative AI. Explain concepts simply and clearly."

    questions = [
        "What is a token in the context of AI?",
        "What is the difference between training and inference?",
    ]

    for question in questions:
        print(f"Question: {question}")
        answer = ask_ai(question, system_instruction=system)
        print(f"Answer: {answer}")
        print()