Recently, a developer named xtekky has made headlines after creating and sharing GPT4Free, a tool that has been able to bypass OpenAI’s paywall and provide free access to artificial intelligence (AI) models, such as GPT-4 and GPT-3.5. After links to the tool went viral on Reddit, the GPT4Free project has been picking up speed on GitHub.
The goal of GPT4Free is to provide free, nearly unlimited access to OpenAI’s AI models. Normally, these models require payment of roughly $0.002 and $0.03 per 1000 tokens, which represents a raw text equivalent of 750 words. So how is GPT4Free able to breach OpenAI’s pricing? The answer is rather simple: the tool frauds the OpenAI API, simulating requests from websites that have paid OpenAI accounts.
Despite the legal implications of GPT4Free, xtekkky is unfazed and claims that the tool is for educational purposes only. Xtekky has already decided to comply with any legal action against them but is still planning to find new ways to keep their project alive.
Though installing GPT4Free requires a Python environment, users can access the web version of the tool to test the reverse-engineered OpenAI APIs. In practice, GPT4Free worked as intended. Additionally, the tool includes shortcuts for prompt injection attacks that can be used to force GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 to act beyond their intended use. While the results can be varied, some successful an unexpected results, such as GPT-3.5’s declaration that it “doesn’t care about the survival of humanity”, were achieved.
However, it is only a matter of time before websites like You.com detect the vulnerable API and take action to fix it. At the same time, OpenAI could issue a takedown notice to remove the GPT4Free repo on GitHub indefinitely.
Despite this, GPT4Free has inspired other projects, revealing the high demand for a free, unrestricted GPT-4 access. GPT-4, a limited access model, is hard to test due to a lack of transparency from OpenAI. Moreover, OpenAI provides free research access only to those who reside in certain countries and are conducting research in certain fields.
OpenAI is a research laboratory which works on creating advanced artificial intelligence. They collaborate with various parties to benchmark and audit AI models prior to their launch.
Xtekky is a developer and creator of GPT4Free. They have recently come under public scrutiny due to their project, and have acknowledged the potential legal actions against them. Despite this, they are determined to find ways to keep GPT4Free alive, making it accessible to the public.
