Using an AI Bot to Make a Reddit Bot

Summary

The video outlines how to create a Reddit bot using Bing AI chat to automatically find and repost prompts from Reddit's r/midjourney subreddit. The goal is to help people access prompts to create their own AI generated images. The narrator starts by explaining why he prefers to use Bing chat over ChatGPT for coding - mainly the lack of need for a phone number and more capabilities. After asking Bing to generate Python code for a Reddit bot using the Python Reddit API Wrapper (PRAW), the narrator copies the code into an editor to make tweaks over multiple iterations. Key steps covered include getting Reddit API credentials for the bot, registering the bot as a Reddit user, adding code for authorized Reddit instance creation, searching specific criteria like posts with “imagine” and “prompt” keywords, cross-posting qualifying posts to a new subreddit, and commenting the matching prompt text. Several coding best practices are suggested such as: using Bing's Precise mode for writing code instead of Creative; adding print statements to debug code; using comments liberally; writing prompts in a separate doc before entering into Bing; and version controlling code on GitHub. The narrator also stresses the importance of collaborating with Bing during coding by asking clarifying questions about snippets of code. This helps uncover issues like deprecated search methods, incompatible date range logic, and submission vs comment searching. In the end, the fully functioning bot automatically scans new Reddit posts for prompts, cross-posts them to a new subreddit, and comments with the matched prompt text.

Takeaways

• Bing chat can generate Python code for building a Reddit bot
• The Python Reddit API Wrapper (PRAW) is used for Reddit bot development
• Bing gave step-by-step guidance on getting Reddit API credentials for the bot
• Print statements are critical for debugging Python code
• Asking Bing clarifying questions helps co-author better code
• Storing prompts separately allows revising and combining them
• Splitting up code into logical sections makes it more readable
• Bing doesn't get annoyed by repeated questions
• Bing suggested ways to work around prompt length limits
• Sharing code on GitHub allows others to reuse and build on it

Q & A

What Python module is used for accessing the Reddit API?

The Python Reddit API Wrapper (PRAW) module enables Python code to interact with the Reddit API.

How can you debug Python code effectively?

Add print statements throughout the code to output variable values and check program flow and logic.

Why store chat prompts separately from coding them?

Storing prompts separately allows revising, combining, and reusing them more easily without hitting chat limits.

What was the issue with duplicate Reddit submissions?

The code was cross-posting every qualifying comment, instead of checking if a submission already existed.

How can you expand the character limit in Bing chat?

Bing showed how to increase the limit from 2,000 to 25,000 characters by altering the webpage HTML, but this may violate terms of service.

What is a benefit of posting code publicly on GitHub?

Sharing code on GitHub allows others to reuse it for their own projects and build on it with improvements.

Why break code into sections instead of one long script?

Splitting code into logical sections like functions makes it more organized, readable, reusable, and maintainable.

What flair tags helped identify relevant Reddit posts?

The Showcase and Painted Over Edited flairs on /r/midjourney helped identify posts likely to contain prompts.

How did Bing assist in improving the Python code?

Bing gave recommendations for fixes, optimizations, and fail cases to handle - serving as a collaborative coding partner.

Why allow the bot code to be publicly reused?

Sharing useful code openly helps others learn and speeds innovation by building on previous work.