Accessing GPT-4.1 with the OpenAI API

This step-by-step guide will help you access GPT-4.1 (or GPT-4o) using Python and the OpenAI API.

Prerequisites

1. Install the OpenAI Python Library

Open your terminal or command prompt and run:

pip install openai

2. Set Your OpenAI API Key

Recommended:
Set your API key as an environment variable for better security.

Mac/Linux:

export OPENAI_API_KEY="your-api-key-here"

Windows CMD:

set OPENAI_API_KEY=your-api-key-here

Or you can paste the API key directly in your code (not recommended for production).

3. Example Python Script

Create a new file called gpt4_example.py and add the following code:

import os
import openai

# Set your API key
openai.api_key = os.getenv("OPENAI_API_KEY")  # Or paste directly: "sk-..."

# Choose the GPT-4.1 model name (as of May 2024, use 'gpt-4-1106-preview' or 'gpt-4o')
model_name = "gpt-4-1106-preview"  # Try "gpt-4o" if you have access

response = openai.ChatCompletion.create(
    model=model_name,
    messages=[
        {"role": "system", "content": "You are a helpful assistant."},
        {"role": "user", "content": "Write me a Python function that reverses a string."}
    ],
    max_tokens=200,
    temperature=0.7,
)

print(response.choices[0].message["content"])

4. Run Your Script

Save the script and run it in your terminal:

python gpt4_example.py

You should see the GPT-4.1 response printed out.

5. Explanation

  • openai.ChatCompletion.create calls GPT-4.1 in a conversational context using a list of messages.
  • model should match the GPT-4.1 model name (gpt-4-1106-preview, gpt-4o, or gpt-4-turbo).
  • The assistant replies to the prompt in the "content" field.

Extra Tips

References

If you need an example in another language (JavaScript, Node.js, etc.) or want to learn about advanced features, just ask!