OpenAI (ChatGPT) key

Bring your own OpenAI key to score and categorise mentions with GPT. Without an AI key, BackTalk uses a free offline word-list scorer; a GPT key upgrades every new signal to AI sentiment, categories, and priority.

What it unlocks

• AI sentiment (positive / neutral / negative) instead of the offline lexicon.
• Category and priority tagging on each mention.
• A one-time background re-score of your existing mentions when you save the key.

You can save a key per provider. Left untouched, your first key powers filtering (sentiment, relevance, priority) and every saved key's model joins the AI share-of-voice comparison. Point either job at any saved key and model, including several models from one provider, under What runs each task in Settings.

Get your API key

1. Sign in to the OpenAI Platform.
2. Add a payment method under Billing. API access is separate from a ChatGPT Plus subscription and needs its own credit.
3. Open API keys and choose Create new secret key.
4. Copy the key. New keys start with sk-proj-… (older ones, sk-…) and it's shown only once.

Add it in BackTalk

1. Go to Settings and find the OpenAI card under AI providers.
2. Pick a model (see below) and paste your sk-proj-… key.
3. Save. BackTalk sends one tiny test request to confirm the key and model, then stores the key encrypted and starts the background re-score.

Models & cost

Billed by OpenAI directly at their token rates, with no markup from BackTalk. Sentiment prompts are short, so cost per mention is usually a fraction of a cent. List prices (USD per million input / output tokens):

• GPT-5.4 nano: ~$0.20 / $1.25. Fastest and cheapest; the right default for sentiment.
• GPT-5.4: ~$2.50 / $15. More nuance.
• GPT-5.5: ~$5 / $30. Most capable; rarely needed just for scoring.

Troubleshooting

• "The provider rejected that API key." Wrong, revoked, or project-scoped key that lacks model access. Create a fresh key and re-paste.
• "That model isn't available on this key." Your account/project can't use that model. Add billing or pick GPT-5.4 nano.
• Key check failed. Most often no billing credit on the OpenAI account. Add credit, then retry.

Your key stays private. It's encrypted at rest and only decrypted server-side when a scoring call runs. It is never returned to your browser and never logged. Settings shows only a masked hint.

Rotating your key: create a new key in the OpenAI Platform, paste it into Settings to replace the old one, then revoke the previous key.