Current Workflow
As a student at MIT pursuing advanced AI courses, I’ve embarked on a project to create a website that highlights my work with AI-powered solutions. The centerpiece of this project features a user input tool for analyzing business reviews. Here’s how my current workflow operates:
- User Input: I’m utilizing the AI Engine WordPress plugin that allows visitors to input the name of a business.
- Data Retrieval: Once the user submits a business name, the input is sent to an Azure Function, which then calls the Google Places API to fetch the latest five reviews for that business.
- Cost Control: The decision to limit the results to five reviews ensures that I manage costs while testing the service. Depending on the project’s evolution, this limit may be adjusted.
The Issue
Despite successfully making API calls on both the Azure and Google sides, I’ve encountered a significant challenge: the review data is not being returned to the WordPress website. This creates a bottleneck, leading the system to run without delivering the expected results.
Troubleshooting Steps
In an effort to resolve this issue, I have been:
- Reviewing error logs from both Azure and Google to pinpoint any misconfigurations or communication failures.
- Making adjustments in the AI Engine plugin settings while testing various setups to ensure the data flows back correctly.
- Testing variations in the API response handling, including error handling and timeout settings, to identify where the breakdown is happening.
Lessons Learned
This experience has been enlightening, reinforcing several important lessons:
- Integrating multiple platforms like WordPress, Google Cloud, and Azure demands meticulous configuration at every layer of the architecture.
- Engaging in proof-of-concept projects clearly highlights the necessity of comprehensive error monitoring and effective cost control mechanisms when utilizing APIs.
Next Steps
Addressing the immediate goal of ensuring that Google Places API data returns successfully to the WordPress site is my top priority. Once I have overcome this challenge, I intend to:
- Optimize the system to enhance performance and scalability.
- Implement advanced features for filtering reviews by sentiment or star rating.
- Refine the user experience on the WordPress front end to ensure a seamless interaction.
Conclusion
This article highlights the complexities involved in multi-platform AI integrations and the imperative of persistence and iterative problem-solving to navigate technical challenges effectively.