API (Application Programming Interface)
A way for developers to plug an AI model directly into their own app or website, instead of using the AI company's chat interface.
01 Definition
An API lets a developer send requests to an AI model programmatically from their own software and get responses back, which they can then build into their own product — a chatbot, a writing tool, an automation — without users ever visiting the AI company's own website.
02 Why It Matters
Many AI tools you use are actually built on top of someone else's AI model via API — this is why you'll see 'powered by GPT-4' or similar credits inside other products.
03 Example
A customer support tool might use OpenAI's API behind the scenes to power its chatbot, with its own interface on top.