Building Three Levels of AI Apps using Hugging Face (Beginner Friendly)

Introduction

This tutorial will guide you through the process of building three levels of AI applications using Hugging Face for the backend and Gradio for the frontend. By the end of this guide, you'll have the foundational knowledge to create AI-powered apps, making it a perfect starting point for beginners interested in AI development.

Step 1: Setting Up Your Environment

To begin building your AI app, you need to set up your development environment.

1. Install Python: Make sure you have Python installed on your machine. You can download it from python.org.
2. Install Necessary Libraries:
   • Open your terminal or command prompt.
   • Run the following command to install Hugging Face and Gradio:

     pip install transformers gradio
     

3. Create a New Project Folder: Organize your project files by creating a new folder where you will store your code and assets.

Step 2: Choose Your AI Model

Selecting the right AI model is crucial for the functionality of your app.

1. Visit Hugging Face Model Hub: Go to Hugging Face Model Hub to explore available models.
2. Select a Model: Choose a model that fits your application needs (e.g., text generation, image classification).
3. Copy Model Name: Make a note of the model's name as you will use it in your code.

Step 3: Building the Backend with Hugging Face

Now, you'll set up the backend using the selected Hugging Face model.

1. Create a Python Script:
   • In your project folder, create a new file named app.py.
2. Import Libraries:
   • Inside app.py, start by importing the necessary libraries:

     from transformers import pipeline
     

3. Load the Model:
   • Initialize your chosen model. For example:

     model = pipeline('text-generation', model='gpt2')
     

4. Define a Function to Generate Output:
   • Create a function that takes input text and returns the model's output:

     def generate_text(input_text):
         return model(input_text, max_length=50)
     

Step 4: Building the Frontend with Gradio

Integrate Gradio to create an interactive user interface for your app.

1. Create Gradio Interface:
   • Add the following code to your app.py to define the Gradio interface:

     import gradio as gr
     
     iface = gr.Interface(fn=generate_text, inputs="text", outputs="text")
     

2. Launch the App:
   • Add the following line at the end of your script to run the app:

     iface.launch()
     

Step 5: Running Your Application

Now it's time to see your AI app in action.

1. Run the Script:
   • In your terminal, navigate to your project folder and run:

     python app.py
     

2. Open in Browser: After running the script, a local URL will be provided in the terminal. Open this URL in your web browser to access your Gradio interface.

Conclusion

You have successfully built a simple AI app using Hugging Face and Gradio! Key takeaways include:

• Setting up your environment and installing necessary libraries.
• Choosing and implementing an AI model from Hugging Face.
• Creating an interactive frontend using Gradio.

As next steps, consider exploring more complex models or adding additional features to your app. Don't hesitate to reach out with any questions or for further assistance!