How to Use the OpenAI Command-Line Interface (CLI) (with Examples)

The openai command-line tool is a versatile utility that allows users to interact with the OpenAI API directly from the terminal. This powerful tool provides functionalities for listing available models, creating text completions, engaging in chat-based conversations, and generating images using artificial intelligence models. Through specific commands and appropriate arguments, users can harness the power of AI to perform a variety of tasks. Here are some practical examples to illustrate its capabilities.

Use Case 1: Listing Available Models

Code:

openai api models.list

Motivation:

One of the first steps when working with the openai CLI is understanding which models are available for use. The available models each have different capabilities, computational requirements, and specializations. Knowing which models are at your disposal helps ensure you select the most suitable one for your specific task, thereby optimizing for performance and cost.

Explanation:

• openai: This invokes the openai CLI tool.
• api: Specifies that an API-related function is about to be executed.
• models.list: Instructs the CLI to return a list of all models accessible to the user, detailing their names and other relevant metadata.

Example Output:

{
  "data": [
    {"id": "curie-001", "object": "model"},
    {"id": "davinci-002", "object": "model"},
    {"id": "ada", "object": "model"},
    // More models listed here
  ]
}

Use Case 2: Creating a Text Completion

Code:

openai api completions.create --model ada --prompt "Hello world"

Motivation:

Generating completions using AI can significantly enhance productivity, whether it’s for writing assistance, idea generation, or automating content creation. Text completions allow users to provide a seed text, and the AI generates continuations that can be used in various applications like chatbots or content recommendations.

Explanation:

• openai api completions.create: Calls the API to create a new text completion task.
• --model ada: Specifies the “ada” model for the task. Ada is usually faster, cheaper, and effective for less complex tasks.
• --prompt "Hello world": The initial text provided to the AI. In this case, “Hello world” is the starting point from which the AI generates additional content.

Example Output:

{
  "id": "cmpl-5h4X3YFQJazA5Yrv43jLZ1Yv1Ti6H",
  "object": "text_completion",
  "model": "ada",
  "choices": [
    {
      "text": "Hello world! How can I assist you today?",
      "index": 0
    }
  ]
}

Use Case 3: Creating a Chat Completion

Code:

openai api chat_completions.create --model gpt-3.5-turbo --message user "Hello world"

Motivation:

Chat completions are particularly useful for building conversational agents or virtual assistants. By leveraging dialogue-based interactions, businesses can provide context-aware customer service, educational tutoring, or personal assistant functionalities.

Explanation:

• openai api chat_completions.create: Initiates a chat completion process, emphasizing a dialogue-based response.
• --model gpt-3.5-turbo: Specifies using the “gpt-3.5-turbo” model, renowned for its advanced conversational and language capabilities, making it ideal for intricate dialogue scenarios.
• --message user "Hello world": Defines the user’s input message in the conversation. Here, “Hello world” starts the conversation, prompting a contextual reply from the AI.

Example Output:

{
  "id": "chatcmpl-7lEyf8PiQLQ2521aAOef5zzUk",
  "choices": [
    {
      "message": {"content": "Hello! How can I help you today?"}
    }
  ]
}

Use Case 4: Generating Images with the DALL·E API

Code:

openai api image.create --prompt "two dogs playing chess, cartoon" --num-images 1

Motivation:

Image generation using AI, such as with DALL·E, opens up new avenues for creativity, from creating digital artwork to designing innovative visual content for marketing. By providing descriptive prompts, users can generate unique images tailored to their needs, saving time and inspiring new creative possibilities.

Explanation:

• openai api image.create: Initiates the image creation process via the DALL·E API.
• --prompt "two dogs playing chess, cartoon": Describes the image to be generated. This prompt specifies the scene and style, guiding the AI in creating a cartoon representation of dogs playing chess.
• --num-images 1: Determines the number of images to generate. In this instance, the tool is set to produce one image that fits the given prompt.

Example Output:

The output is an image or set of images fitting the descriptive details of the prompt provided. While the terminal itself does not display the raw image, a link to download or preview the image is typically provided.

Conclusion:

The OpenAI CLI tool offers a straightforward and effective means of leveraging AI capabilities directly from the command line. Whether you aim to list available models, generate text completions, facilitate chat interactions, or create bespoke images, the versatility of this tool is only bounded by your creativity and understanding of the necessary commands. By integrating AI into everyday tasks, users and developers can significantly enhance productivity, automate mundane processes, and more dynamically generate content across a wide range of fields.