ChatGPT is now available in preview on Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI service allowing developers to integrate ChatGPT directly into a host of different enterprise and end-user applications using a token-based pricing system.
Microsoft first launched the Azure OpenAI Service at Ignite in 2021 with access to OpenAI’s powerful GPT-3 models. After that, the company continued expanding access to more models like Codex and Dall-E before they became generally available in January of this year.
With the inclusion of ChatGPT in the Azure OpenAI Service preview, developers can integrate tailored AI-driven interactions into their applications seamlessly. For example, Pablo Castro, a distinguished engineer at Microsoft, outlines a scenario in a Tech Community blog post combing Azure Cognitive Search and Azure OpenAI Service:
Azure Cognitive Search and Azure OpenAI Service integrate Azure's enterprise-grade characteristics, Cognitive Search's ability to index, understand, and retrieve the right pieces of your own data across large knowledge bases, and ChatGPT’s impressive capability for interacting in natural language to answer questions or take turns in a conversation.
In general, Microsoft utilizes Azure OpenAI to drive various services, including but not limited to GitHub Copilot (Visual Studio 2022), Power Apps, Microsoft Teams Premium, Viva Sales, and the advanced Bing chatbot.
Eric Boyd, corporate vice president, AI Platform, Microsoft, stated in an Azure blog post:
With Azure OpenAI Service, over 1,000 customers are applying the most advanced AI models—including Dall-E 2, GPT-3.5, Codex, and other large language models backed by the unique supercomputing and enterprise capabilities of Azure—to innovate in new ways.
In addition, Valentina Alto, Azure specialist Data&AI at Microsoft, concluded in her medium blog post on querying structured data with Azure OpenAI:
Azure OpenAI has so much potential for enterprises. Imagine using its powerful generative models as a support tool for producing financial reports on ERP data, analytical insights on Sales data, and any other kind of analysis.
Currently, in preview mode, access to the Azure OpenAI Service is restricted to Microsoft managed customers and partners. Developers must apply to use it, as registration is required to prevent abuse. Additionally, the service will be priced at $0.002 for every 1,000 tokens. OpenAI’s pricing for their diverse AI models is token-based, with each token representing a word fragment, meaning roughly 750 words equivalent to 1,000 tokens.
Lastly, more of Azure’s OpenAI service details are available on the documentation landing page.