The OpenAI Playground is a tool that anyone can use to have more control over their prompting, such as using different types of AI models and adjusting hyperparameters like Temperature. The Playground is particularly useful for developers and researchers to test different AI models using the API.

In short, the Playground gives you more control than you have in ChatGPT.

However using the Playground costs money. If you’re just using the Playground to play around then it will cost very little, in fact it may be less than the cost of a ChatGPT Plus subscription. But if you’re using very large prompts or lots of tasks, the costs can quickly add up. To prevent you from getting a large, unexpected bill, we’re going to set a limit on your usage so that you can play around with the Playground without fear. Follow the steps below.

SETTING UP YOUR PLAYGROUND

STEP 1: go to https://platform.openai.com/playground to access the Playground. I recommend bookmarking this URL.

STEP 2: along the left-hand side you will see symbols. Hover over them to expand. 

There are four important areas here I want you to be aware of:

STEP 2A: API Keys
This is where you can generate your secret API key. Important: do not give anyone your API key. Any use of the OpenAI API through this key will be charged to your account, so if someone else has your API key they can cause you to rack up charges. 

STEP 2B: Usage
This is where you can see your Playground usage and how much it is costing you. You are charged per token…you haven’t learned about tokens yet (you will shortly), but essentially a "token" is a word. You can see the price per token (or per million tokens) for the different Large Language Models here. While tokens are very inexpensive, if you have large inputs or large outputs the tokens can add up quickly. Additionally, if you have a long conversation the entire conversation is re-input to the model every time you enter a new prompt, therefore long conversations can use up a lot of tokens quickly

STEP 2C: Settings → Billing
Select Settings, and a number of sub-headings will appear. Select “Billing”. You will need to input your credit card information and fund your account before you can use the OpenAI Playground. I recommend starting with something small, like $5.

STEP 2D: Settings --> Limits
Select Settings, and a number of sub-headings will appear. Select "Limits". Importantly, this is where you can set the maximum amount you can be charged each month for usage. You can also set a threshold at which point you get an email. So if you’re scared of using the Playground and racking up huge bills - don’t be! Just set your limit here to whatever number you’re comfortable with.

Once you’ve set a limit you’re all set to play around in the Playground freely and safely (although I recommend still keeping an eye on the Usage tab to be safe)!