- Status
- Verified
- Terms dated
- December 1, 2025 (effective January 1, 2026)
- Last verified
- 2026-10-17
OpenAI API (GPT Image, text to speech)
About OpenAI API (GPT Image, text to speech)
The OpenAI API is OpenAI's developer platform. It gives access to OpenAI's models, including GPT Image for images and text-to-speech models, for building your own apps and agents. This page covers the API's business terms, not ChatGPT.
Through the API, you own what OpenAI's models make and OpenAI assigns you its rights. There's no non-commercial limit. AI speech needs a disclosure, and OpenAI's copyright cover has exceptions.
Plan by plan
API (pay as you go, business terms)
Yes- Who owns the output
- You (OpenAI assigns its rights in Output to you)
- Revenue cap
- none stated
- Attribution or watermark
- Speech: you must tell listeners the voice is AI-generated
- Indemnity
- OpenAI covers third-party IP claims over your use of Output, with exceptions (none for Prompt-to-Voice or beta services)
Output may not be unique. You can't use Output to build competing AI models, and you can't resell your account or API keys. These are OpenAI's business terms; ChatGPT's consumer terms are on a separate page.
Owning the output under a tool's terms isn't the same as holding copyright in it. Can you copyright AI art, music and video? →
By output type
Terms differ by what you make and which plan you're on. Each row is quoted from the page it links to.
| Output | Plan | Can sell | Catch | Indemnity | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image (GPT Image models) | API | Yes | Output may not be unique; other users can get similar images. | Yes, with exceptions | Quote 1 |
| Speech (text to speech, built-in voices) | API | Yes | You must clearly tell listeners the voice is AI-generated. | Yes, with exceptions | Quote 2 |
| Speech (Prompt-to-Voice custom voices) | API | Yes | You need consent to copy anyone's voice, must disclose that the speech is AI-generated, and get no IP cover from OpenAI. | None | Quote 3 |
1 Image (GPT Image models), API
“As between Customer and OpenAI, to the extent permitted by applicable law, Customer: (a) retains all ownership rights in Input; and (b) owns all Output. OpenAI hereby assigns to Customer all OpenAI’s right, title, and interest, if any, in and to Output.”
2 Speech (text to speech, built-in voices), API
“Our usage policies require you to provide a clear disclosure to end users that the TTS voice they are hearing is AI-generated and not a human voice.”
3 Speech (Prompt-to-Voice custom voices), API
“Customer must clearly disclose that generated speech is AI-generated, must not intentionally remove or alter OpenAI-provided indicators of AI origin, and must require End Users to comply with these requirements.”
Related tools
- OpenAI ChatGPT images (Sora discontinued) Image · OpenAI's ChatGPT assistant and its image generation.
In their words
“As between Customer and OpenAI, to the extent permitted by applicable law, Customer: (a) retains all ownership rights in Input; and (b) owns all Output. OpenAI hereby assigns to Customer all OpenAI’s right, title, and interest, if any, in and to Output.”
“This OpenAI Services Agreement only applies to use of OpenAI’s APIs, ChatGPT Enterprise, ChatGPT Business, ChatGPT for Clinicians, and other services for customers who are businesses and developers, and does not apply to OpenAI services used by consumers or individuals unless specified above.”
“OpenAI’s indemnification obligations to API customers under the Agreement include any third party claim that Customer’s use or distribution of Output infringes a third party’s intellectual property right.”
“OpenAI’s indemnification obligations under these Service Terms and the Agreement do not apply to Prompt-to-Voice or its Output.”
“Due to the nature of OpenAI’s Services and artificial intelligence generally, Output may not be unique, and other users may receive similar content from OpenAI’s services.”
Sources
- Primary terms openai.com · dated December 1, 2025 (effective January 1, 2026)
- OpenAI Service Terms openai.com · dated October 16, 2026
- OpenAI text-to-speech guide platform.openai.com
- OpenAI Usage Policies openai.com
Spot an error or a change in these terms? Report it. We fix errors in the open.