This ‘hack’ lets you access GPT-4 and ‘pay-per-prompt’ in crypto

Artificial Intelligence (AI) models such as the Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT) language developed by OpenAI, made available to the public through ChatGPT, gathered meaningful attention from developers, enthusiasts, businesses, and investors in the last year.

Since its launch, GPT-4, which is the most advanced OpenAI’s artificial intelligence model, has been able to reach outstanding recognition globally. However, to gain access to the GPT-4 model, users have to pay for the ChatGPT Plus subscription plan at $20 per month which requires users to identify themselves through a login and the use of credit cards.

Interestingly, Finbold exclusively talked to Mira Hurley (@mira_hurley), a cryptocurrency enthusiast, who developed a Telegram bot capable of using GPT-4 API to deliver ChatGPT’s most advanced experience using a novel ‘pay-per-prompt’ model.

Moreover, it allows users to pay with cryptocurrencies and remain anonymous. It is important to say that the project is still being tested in very early stages, mostly experimental, and the Telegram bot could present issues.

Nevertheless, it is already open to the public and anyone can try it by using a Telegram account. Finbold has already tested the “ChatGPT-4 Telegram Bot”, and will share our experience below.

Using ‘ChatGPT-4 Telegram Bot’ with payments in crypto

As the first step to accessing the AI tool, it is required to send the bot a message on Telegram. This can be done through its handle ‘@ChatGPT4_Nano_bot’ in the app, or through the link: ‘https://t.me/ChatGPT4_Nano_bot’.

By using the command ‘/start’, the bot will give further instructions for its use. All commands are free of charge, according to Mira Hurley, but as a paid service, users will need to deposit the cryptocurrency Nano (XNO) through the command ‘/balance’.

GPT-4 tool uses Nano as its unit of accounting to price prompts

While interacting with the AI tool, all inputs (the prompt sent by the user) and outputs (the response sent by ChatGPT) will charge their price in XNO, directly from the users’ balance.

Notably, the bot asks for a deposit of “any amount” of Nano. Meaning that it would be possible to make new deposits every time a new prompt is generated, to avoid risking larger amounts of money in an experimental project. Also noteworthy is that the Nano Network usually confirms transactions in less than 0.5 seconds on average, and has no fees.

When asked about why using nano as the main cryptocurrency for the bot, Mira Hurley told us that:

“I picked Nano mostly because it’s very easy to implement and very easy for payments, zero fees and instant transactions make testing really easy and provide a great user experience I think”.

— Mira Hurley (@mira_hurley)

Hurley also said that it is possible to pay her bot with the most known cryptocurrencies thanks to a built-in swap service using NanSwap’s API. This is possible through the command ‘/swap’, but it is important to say that swaps will have different minimum amounts for each crypto, according to their network fees and availability in the swap platform.

“However, I would recommend trying out Nano sometime! There is a good reason I’m using it for the bot, it’s because it’s really easy to use.”

— Mira Hurley (@mira_hurley)

Testing the ChatGPT bot with XNO crypto payments

As part of testing the tool, Finbold used the GPT-4 bot in a previous report called: “ChatGPT picks 3 assets to buy and beat high interest rates”. It was charged a total of 0.0756 XNO ($0.045) for the prompt, plus its response.

Interview with the ‘ChatGPT-4 Nano Bot’ creator

Mira Hurley explained that she has been involved with crypto since 2012, firstly with Bitcoin (BTC), but later moved to alternatives between 2016-2017, just to find out about Nano:

“I got interested in Nano because of its promise for payments (instant and feeless) and because it seemed a superior store of value, with fixed supply and becoming ever more decentralized over time.”

— Mira Hurley (@mira_hurley)

What made you develop this tool?

“I developed the bot because ChatGPT-4 has been hugely helpful to me and I want to give more people access to it. A $20 subscription is quite a steep commitment, paying a few cents per prompt is far more welcoming. I also think people should be able to access chatgpt from everywhere, not just countries where credit cards are widespread, and be able to use it anonymously if they want to.”

— Mira Hurley (@mira_hurley)

What are the next steps for it? Any big plans in mind?

“Next steps for the bot I’m not sure about yet. I am considering adding other AIs into the bot, or perhaps doing more with image generation, but I’m mostly seeing what people want to see most and implement that.”

— Mira Hurley (@mira_hurley)

Any recommendations for the users?

“I would recommend wiping the chat history whenever you want to talk about a new subject, since the longer a conversation goes the more each prompt costs.”

— Mira Hurley (@mira_hurley)

Interestingly, as our interview was reaching an end, the bot creator also said that she is: “Currently putting 0.2 Nano into all new users accounts for as long as I can afford to, so people can try it for free”.

All things considered, Finbold does not encourage people to use this tool, unless they are aware of the risks of using a yet experimental project. Funds deposited to the bot could be lost forever and everyone should use this tool at their own risk.