AI continues to develop rapidly. OpenAI is, without a doubt, one of the biggest game-changers in the industry. Not that long ago, OpenAI, which is one of the leading AI research organizations, unveiled the OpenAI API. Unlike many AI systems tailored for specific tasks, this API is extremely versatile and capable of performing a wide range of tasks. In this post, we will tell you everything you need to know about OpenAI API, its functionalities, and proper utilization.
What is OpenAI API?
Put shortly, OpenAI API is a cloud-based interface that’s hosted on Microsoft Azure. It grants users access to newly developed pre-trained AI models by OpenAI, including DALL-E, Codex, and GPT-3 (we’ll show you the OpenAI models in a moment).
The primary goal of the OpenAI API is to empower users to integrate cutting-edge AI capabilities into various language tasks. Unlike traditional AI systems that are typically limited to specific use cases, the OpenAI API offers developers a general-purpose platform for text input and output tasks.
The OpenAI API can be employed across different programming languages to serve various purposes, such as semantic search, content creation, translation, sentiment analysis, and more. On the user’s side, it’s very straightforward – when provided with a text prompt, the API generates a corresponding text that’s aligned with the given pattern.
4 TYPES OF OPENAI API MODELS
GPT-3 API
The GPT-3 API encompasses a range of natural language processing models that are great when it comes to understanding and generating human-like language. These models undergo extensive training to perform well in tasks such as:
- Copywriting
- Text summarization
- Unstructured text analysis
- Classification
- And translation
GPT-4 API
Currently, GPT-4 is the latest API model by OpenAI. GPT-4 differs from GPT-3 by its exceptional accuracy and efficiency. Some say it can even be better than Codex in coding tasks. GPT-4 is available in 8K and 32K variants, with the former capable of processing 8,192 tokens and the latter – up to 32,768 tokens (about 50 pages of text).
Codex
This model specializes in translating text into various programming languages such as Perl, JavaScript, Swift, SQL, PHP, Go, TypeScript, and Ruby. It is also adept at code editing and insertion tasks.
Whisper
Whisper serves as an automatic speech recognition (ASR) system trained to convert audio inputs into text. Leveraging datasets collected from the web, Whisper excels not only in transcription but also in language detection, multilingual transcription, and speech translation tasks.
DALL-E
That’s one of the best-known OpenAI models. DALL-E utilizes generative AI technology to enable users to generate high-resolution images based on textual prompts. This API model can produce entirely new images in diverse styles specified by users. Named after Spanish artist Salvador Dali and the Disney character WALL-E, DALL-E utilizes deep learning models alongside the GPT-3 API for understanding natural language prompts and generating images.
How do I use the OpenAI API and find the API key?
First, you need to follow these three steps:
STEP 1: CREATE AN OPENAI ACCOUNT
If you don’t have an existing OpenAI account, you can create one by following the instructions on the OpenAI website. For Python development, install the OpenAI package via pip (pip install OpenAI). Alternatively, for Node.js, install it using npm (npm install OpenAI).
Upon account creation, you’ll receive a verification link via email. Click on the link to verify your email address, then log in to your OpenAI account using your credentials.
STEP 2: GENERATE THE OPENAI API KEY
Once logged in, click on your profile icon or initials at the top-right corner of the OpenAI dashboard. From the dropdown menu, select ‘View API keys.’
In the API keys section, locate the option to ‘Create new secret key.’ Click on this option to generate a new API key. Ensure to save this newly generated API key promptly, as it will not be visible again once the window closes.
STEP 3: MAKE A TEST CALL WITH THE OPENAI API KEY
Utilize your OpenAI API key to make a simple text request to your desired model endpoints using a server-side programming language like JavaScript (Node.js) or Python.
After authenticating the OpenAI API key, present your data in the user interface. Once completed, your application will be ready for real-world deployment.
HOW TO GET THE OPENAI API KEY
To obtain the OpenAI API key, you can follow these steps:
- Create an OpenAI account: If you haven’t already done so, visit the OpenAI website and sign up by clicking the “Sign Up” button. Fill in the necessary details to create your account.
- Verify your account: After signing up, check your email for a message from OpenAI containing a verification link. Click on the link to verify your account’s authenticity.
- Log in: Return to the OpenAI website and click on the “Log In” button. Enter your username and password to access your account.
- Access API keys: Once logged in, navigate to the top-right corner of the screen where your account name or initials are displayed. Click on it to reveal a dropdown menu, then select “View API keys.”
- Generate a new API key: In the API keys section, look for the option labeled “Create new secret key.” Click on this button to generate a new API key.
- Name your key: A dialog box will appear prompting you to name your secret API key. Choose a descriptive name that helps you identify its purpose.
- Save your key and store it securely: After naming your key, click the “Create secret key” button. Your secret key will be generated and displayed. Copy this key and securely store it for use in your applications.
Wrapping up
Without a doubt OpenAI models give you access to a whole range of fascinating tasks and applications. Follow the instructions in this post to create your own OpenAI API, and then – make the most of it in your tool or any other project that you’re working on!
Read more about OpenAI API on Addepto’s blog.
