Answer · confidence: partial

When could coders first rent AI online, and how much did it cost?

Research question: When could outside programmers first rent AI models over the internet, and what did it cost them?

The records show that outside programmers first gained access to GPT-3 through the OpenAI API beta, which began on June 11, 2020 ¹. Earlier, a 2016 paper states that several companies had launched or planned cloud-based machine learning services where users uploaded datasets for the provider to train ⁵, and it notes that BigML initially offered only decision trees ³. None of the facts state what renting any of these models or services cost, including GPT-3's API, so the cost part of the question is unanswered ¹². The newest fact is from March 2023, about three and a half years before October 2026, so it may not reflect current access or pricing ²⁶.

Checked 2026-10-21. Only documented and supported facts are used.

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Sources

[1] supported

Outside programmers first gained access to GPT-3 through the OpenAI API beta, which began on June 11, 2020, after the model's May 29, 2020 publication.

"Release May 29, 2020 (publication); June 11, 2020 (OA API beta)"

GPT-3

[2] supported

OpenAI released GPT-4 as an API that outside developers could access, with a waitlist, and also as a feature of ChatGPT Plus. The document does not state the API price, and it does not say this was the first time outsiders could rent its models.

"On March 14, 2023, OpenAI released GPT-4 , both as an API (with a waitlist) and as a feature of ChatGPT Plus."

OpenAI

[3] supported

The paper notes that BigML, a cloud ML service, initially offered only decision trees.

"example, initially offered only decision trees."

Stealing Machine Learning Models via Prediction APIs (2016)

[4] supported

Training deep learning models is typically outsourced to cloud providers, a practice the literature calls Machine Learning as a Service (MLaaS).

"the training of deep models is typically outsourced to clouds, which is referred to in the literature as “Machine Learning as a Service” (MLaaS)."

Securing Machine Learning in the Cloud: A Systematic Review of Cloud Machine Learning Security (2020)

[5] supported

The paper states that a number of companies had launched or were planning to launch cloud-based machine learning services that let users upload datasets and have the provider run training algorithms.

"Machine learning services. A number of companies"

Stealing Machine Learning Models via Prediction APIs (2016)

[6] supported

The document does not say when outside programmers first rented AI models over the internet. The earliest related fact it gives is that the first Claude version in March 2023 was limited to users Anthropic approved.

"The first version of Claude was released in March 2023. [ 63 ] It was available only to selected users approved by Anthropic."

Claude (AI)