FAQ: How to Build an AI-Powered Telegram Bot Using Python & OpenAI API (2025)

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? How to Build an AI-Powered Telegram Bot Using Python & OpenAI API
AI chatbots are becoming increasingly popular for automation, customer support, and cybersecurity. In this guide, I'll show you how to create a Telegram bot using Python, connect it to OpenAI's GPT-4 API, and deploy it on a server for 24/7 operation.
What this guide covers:
✔️ Setting up a Telegram bot with Python
✔️ Connecting it to OpenAI’s GPT-4 API
✔️ Deploying the bot on a VPS for continuous operation
✔️ Expanding features with web scraping, automation, and security
?️ Step 1: Creating a Telegram Bot​
1. Open Telegram and search for @BotFather
2. Use the command:
Code:

/newbot

3. Choose a bot name and a unique username (ex. 2crdforum_bot)
4. Copy the API token provided by BotFather (you'll need it later)
⚙️ Step 2: Installing Python and Dependencies​
Install the necessary libraries:
Code:

pip install python-telegram-bot openai requests

Create a new file bot.py and import the required libraries:
Code:

import logging

import openai

from telegram import Update

from telegram.ext import Updater, CommandHandler, MessageHandler, Filters, CallbackContext

openai.api_key = "YOUR_OPENAI_API_KEY"

logging.basicConfig(level=logging.INFO)

? Step 3: Writing the AI-Powered Response Handler​
Now, let's add the function that processes user messages and generates AI-powered responses:
Code:

def handle_message(update: Update, context: CallbackContext):

user_text = update.message.text

response = openai.ChatCompletion.create(

model="gpt-4",

messages=[{"role": "user", "content": user_text}]

)

update.message.reply_text(response["choices"][0]["message"]["content"])

? Step 4: Connecting the Bot to Telegram​
Now, add the main function to run the bot:
Code:

def main():

updater = Updater("YOUR_TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN", use_context=True)

dp = updater.dispatcher

dp.add_handler(MessageHandler(Filters.text & ~Filters.command, handle_message))

updater.start_polling()

updater.idle()

if __name__ == "__main__":

main()

Run the bot with:
Code:

python bot.py

? Step 5: Deploying the Bot on a VPS (24/7 Uptime)​
To keep the bot running continuously, deploy it on a VPS like DigitalOcean, Linode, or Hetzner.
1. Install Python and required libraries:
Code:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install python3-pip

    pip install python-telegram-bot openai requests

2. Run the bot in the background:
Code:

nohup python3 bot.py &

3. Use **screen** or **systemd** for better stability.
? Step 6: Expanding Features (Web Scraping & Automation)​
Scrape News & Summarize with AI:
Code:

 import requests

    from bs4 import BeautifulSoup

    def get_latest_news():

    url = "https://news.ycombinator.com/"

    soup = BeautifulSoup(requests.get(url).content, "html.parser")

    headlines = [a.text for a in soup.select(".titlelink")[:5]]

    return "\n".join(headlines)

Now, integrate this function into the bot:
Code:

def news(update: Update, context: CallbackContext):

update.message.reply_text(get_latest_news())

dp.add_handler(CommandHandler("news", news))

Now users can type **/news** to get AI-processed news updates.
?️ Security Considerations​
? **Protect Your API Key:**
- Never hardcode API keys in your script.
- Store keys in a `.env` file and load them using `dotenv`.
⚡ **Rate Limit Requests:**
- Prevent abuse by limiting response length:
Code:

if len(user_text) > 500:

update.message.reply_text("Message too long!")

return

? Conclusion​
Now you have a fully functional AI-powered Telegram bot with GPT-4 support. You can expand it with automation, data scraping, and security features.
What AI features would you like to add? Share your ideas below! ?