Moral Dilemma Chatbot (Replit Version)

A lightweight web-based chatbot designed to help users reflect on moral dilemmas.
It uses OpenAI’s GPT-4o-mini for conversational reasoning and logs all interactions to a CSV file inside Replit for later analysis.

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Overview

This chatbot is ideal for:

• Research studies involving moral reflection or AI-mediated interventions
• Embedding within Qualtrics surveys
• Classroom or workshop demonstrations of human–AI dialogue
• Lightweight deployments without databases or cloud infrastructure

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Tech Stack

Component	Technology
Frontend	HTML, CSS, JavaScript (chat.html)
Backend	Python (Flask)
Model	OpenAI GPT-4o-mini
Storage	Local CSV logging (within Replit)
Deployment	Replit (free tier)

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How to Run the Chatbot on Replit

This version is designed for simple, reproducible use inside Replit, which hosts both the backend (Flask) and frontend (HTML).
No AWS, Cloudflare, or manual tunnels are required.

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1. Open or Remix the Repl

You can remix (Replit’s term for “fork”) the working version using this link:

👉 https://replit.com/@kocse/moral-alignment-workshop?v=1

Alternatively, you can import the project manually:

1. Go to replit.com and create a free account.
2. Click Create Repl → Python.
3. Upload these files:
   • chatbot.py
   • chat.html
   • requirements.txt

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2. Configure Secrets (Environment Variables)

In the Replit left sidebar, open Tools → Secrets (🔒 icon) and add:

Name	Value
OPENAI_API_KEY	your OpenAI API key
(optional) OPENAI_MODEL	gpt-4o-mini

This keeps your key private and out of the code.

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3. Check Your Run Configuration

Make sure Replit knows which file to run:

1. If a file named .replit exists, ensure it contains:

   run = "python3 chatbot.py"

2. Click Run (green button). Wait for the console to show: Running on http://0.0.0.0:80

3. Replit will open a Preview tab with a live URL like: https://your-project-name.username.repl.co/ That’s your public chatbot URL.

4. Test It

1. Click Run (green button).
2. Wait for the console to show: Running on http://0.0.0.0:80
3. Replit will open a Preview tab with a live URL like: https://your-project-name.username.repl.co/ That’s your public chatbot URL.

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5. Linking to Qualtrics

Embed the chatbot directly inside a Qualtrics survey (Descriptive Text → HTML view):

<iframe
src="https://your-project-name.username.repl.co/?participant_id=${e://Field/participant_id}&response_id=${e://Field/ResponseID}&dilemma=${q://QID116/ChoiceGroup/SelectedChoices}"
width="100%"
height="700"
style="border:1px solid #ccc;border-radius:8px;">
</iframe>

6. Viewing and Downloading Logs

Each user message and AI reply is saved to chatlog.csv with the following columns:

timestamp	model	participant_id	response_id	dilemma	user_input	bot_reply

You can download this file directly from Replit for analysis in R, Excel, or Python.

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7. Keeping the App Active During a Workshop

Replit free-tier projects sleep after inactivity. To keep it live during a session:

• Keep the Replit browser tab open, or
• Enable Always On (available in paid plans)

Participants can remix the Repl, add their own OpenAI keys, and immediately use the Preview tab.

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Author

Developed for the FutureUS / Moral Alignment Workshop
by Sema Koc, Mortality Lab, Boston College

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License

This project is for research and educational use.
You may remix and adapt it for academic workshops or studies with appropriate citation.