I set out to explore a simple but powerful question: Can generative AI make API errors more helpful, less frustrating, and actually human-friendly? In this session, I’ll share a hands-on experiment where I used OpenAI to enhance how APIs handle and communicate errors. Instead of generic validation or auth error messages, I built a system that analyzes each failed request in real time and responds with context-aware suggestions, clear explanations, and developer-friendly guidance.

My goal was to reduce developer guesswork, improve API usability, and even spot recurring issues before they escalate. I’ll walk through how I approached prompt engineering, added caching to improve response time, and handled cases where AI could go off-track. We’ll also touch on potential next steps—like integrating AI for auto-healing APIs or debugging assistants.