OpenAI's GPT-3 Usage Terms

OpenAI has set specific usage terms for its GPT-3 service. Some key terms include:

• You must be at least 13 years old to use the Services, or under 18 with your parent or legal guardian’s permission​``oaicite:{"number":1,"metadata":{"title":"Terms of use","url":"https://openai.com/policies/terms-of-use/","text":"1. Registration and Access \n\nYou must be at least 13 years old to use the Services. If you are under 18 you must have your parent or legal guardian’s permission to use the Services. If you use the Services on behalf of another person or entity, you must have the authority to accept the Terms on their behalf. You must provide accurate and complete information to register for an account. You may not make your access credentials or account available to others outside your organization, and you are responsible for all activities that occur using your credentials","pub_date":null}}``​.
• You must comply with all applicable laws and the specified terms when using the Services​``oaicite:{"number":1,"metadata":{"title":"Terms of use","url":"https://openai.com/policies/terms-of-use/","text":"2. Usage Requirements\n\n(a) Use of Services. You may access, and we grant you a non-exclusive right to use, the Services in accordance with these Terms. You will comply with these Terms and all applicable laws when using the Services. We and our affiliates own all rights, title, and interest in and to the Services.\n\n(b) Feedback. We appreciate feedback, comments, ideas, proposals and suggestions for improvements. If you provide any of these things, we may use it without restriction or compensation to you.\n\n(c) Restrictions. You may not (i) use the Services in a way that infringes, misappropriates or violates any person’s rights; (ii) reverse assemble, reverse compile, decompile, translate or otherwise attempt to discover the source code or underlying components of models, algorithms, and systems of the Services (except to the extent such restrictions are contrary to applicable law); (iii) use output from the Services to develop models that compete with OpenAI; (iv) except as permitted through the API, use any automated or programmatic method to extract data or output from the Services, including scraping, web harvesting, or web data extraction; (v) represent that output from the Services was human-generated when it is not or otherwise violate our Usage Policies; (vi) buy, sell, or transfer API keys without our prior consent; or (vii), send us any personal information of children under 13 or the applicable age of digital consent. You will comply with any rate limits and other requirements in our documentation. You may use Services only in geographies currently supported by OpenAI","pub_date":null}}``​.
• You are responsible for ensuring that your content does not violate any applicable law or these Terms​``oaicite:{"number":1,"metadata":{"title":"Terms of use","url":"https://openai.com/policies/terms-of-use/","text":"3. Content\n\n(a) Your Content. You may provide input to the Services (“Input”), and receive output generated and returned by the Services based on the Input (“Output”). Input and Output are collectively “Content.” As between the parties and to the extent permitted by applicable law, you own all Input. Subject to your compliance with these Terms, OpenAI hereby assigns to you all its right, title and interest in and to Output. This means you can use Content for any purpose, including commercial purposes such as sale or publication, if you comply with these Terms. OpenAI may use Content to provide and maintain the Services, comply with applicable law, and enforce our policies. You are responsible for Content, including for ensuring that it does not violate any applicable law or these Terms","pub_date":null}}``​.
• You must pay all fees charged to your account as per the agreed terms​``oaicite:{"number":1,"metadata":{"title":"Terms of use","url":"https://openai.com/policies/terms-of-use/","text":"4. Fees and Payments\n\n(a) Fees and Billing. You will pay all fees charged to your account (“Fees”) according to the prices and terms on the applicable pricing page, or as otherwise agreed between us in writing. We have the right to correct pricing errors or mistakes even if we have already issued an invoice or received payment. You will provide complete and accurate billing information including a valid and authorized payment method. We will charge your payment method on an agreed-upon periodic basis, but may reasonably change the date on which the charge is posted. You authorize OpenAI and its affiliates, and our third-party payment processor(s), to charge your payment method for the Fees. If your payment cannot be completed, we will provide you written notice and may suspend access to the Services until payment is received. Fees are payable in U.S. dollars and are due upon invoice issuance. Payments are nonrefundable except as provided in this Agreement","pub_date":null}}``​.
• You cannot create more than one account to benefit from the free tier of the Services​``oaicite:{"number":1,"metadata":{"title":"Terms of use","url":"https://openai.com/policies/terms-of-use/","text":"e) Free Tier. You may not create more than one account to benefit from credits provided in the free tier of the Services. If we believe you are not using the free tier in good faith, we may charge you standard fees or stop providing access to the Services","pub_date":null}}``​.

Potential Reasons for a GPT-3 Ban

Violating any of the above terms can lead to a ban or restriction of access to GPT-3. For example, if you use the Services in a way that infringes, misappropriates, or violates any person’s rights, or if you fail to pay the fees charged to your account, you could face a ban​``oaicite:{"number":1,"metadata":{"title":"Terms of use","url":"https://openai.com/policies/terms-of-use/","text":"2. Usage Requirements\n\n(a) Use of Services. You may access, and we grant you a non-exclusive right to use, the Services in accordance with these Terms. You will comply with these Terms and all applicable laws when using the Services. We and our affiliates own all rights, title, and interest in and to the Services.\n\n(b) Feedback. We appreciate feedback, comments, ideas, proposals and suggestions for improvements. If you provide any of these things, we may use it without restriction or compensation to you.\n\n(c) Restrictions. You may not (i) use the Services in a way that infringes, misappropriates or violates any person’s rights; (ii) reverse assemble, reverse compile, decompile, translate or otherwise attempt to discover the source code or underlying components of models, algorithms, and systems of the Services (except to the extent such restrictions are contrary to applicable law); (iii) use output from the Services to develop models that compete with OpenAI; (iv) except as permitted through the API, use any automated or programmatic method to extract data or output from the Services, including scraping, web harvesting, or web data extraction; (v) represent that output from the Services was human-generated when it is not or otherwise violate our Usage Policies; (vi) buy, sell, or transfer API keys without our prior consent; or (vii), send us any personal information of children under 13 or the applicable age of digital consent. You will comply with any rate limits and other requirements in our documentation. You may use Services only in geographies currently supported by OpenAI","pub_date":null}}``​.

Real-World Case of GPT-3 Ban

A real-world example of a ban occurred when a developer used GPT-3 to create a chatbot that simulated conversation with the user's deceased fiancée. This use case could arguably fall under forbidden use for "sexual, amorous, self-harm, or bullying purposes", which led to OpenAI taking action against the developer​``oaicite:{"number":2,"metadata":{"title":"OpenAI punished dev who used GPT-3 to ‘resurrect’ the dead — was this fair?","url":"https://thenextweb.com/news/openai-punished-dev-used-gpt-3-to-resurrect-dead-ethics","text":"Searching for articles on the subject for the young engineers attending the Ethics and Information and Communications Technology course at UCLouvain, Belgium, I was particularly struck by the case of Joshua Barbeau, a 33-year-old man who used a website called Project December to create a conversational robot – a chatbot – that would simulate conversation with his deceased fiancée, Jessica.\n\n## Conversational robots mimicking dead people\n\nKnown as a deadbot, this type of chatbot allowed Barbeau to exchange text messages with an artificial “Jessica”. Despite the ethically controversial nature of the case, I rarely found materials that went beyond the mere factual aspect and analyzed the case through an explicit normative lens: why would it be right or wrong, ethically desirable or reprehensible, to develop a deadbot?\n\nBefore we grapple with these questions, let’s put things into context: Project December was created by the games developer Jason Rohrer to enable people to customize chatbots with the personality they wanted to interact with, provided that they paid for it. The project was built drawing on an API of GPT-3, a text-generating language model by the artificial intelligence research company OpenAI. Barbeau’s case opened a rift between Rohrer and OpenAI because the company’s guidelines explicitly forbid GPT-3 to be used for sexual, amorous, self-harm or bullying purposes","pub_date":null}}``​.

Conclusion

As AI technology evolves, understanding the terms of use becomes crucial. OpenAI's GPT-3 is a powerful tool, but it's essential to use it responsibly and within the outlined guidelines to avoid potential restrictions or bans.