Microsoft announced ChatGPT in preview in Azure OpenAI Service on March 9, 2023. The integration was aimed at developers building conversational AI into their own applications—not people looking for a consumer ChatGPT login. The announcement’s prices and availability statements are historical; check Microsoft’s current model, lifecycle, regional availability, and pricing information before planning a deployment.
What Microsoft announced
Microsoft said developers could use ChatGPT through Azure OpenAI Service to add custom AI-powered experiences to applications. At launch, Eric Boyd, Microsoft’s Corporate Vice President of Azure AI Platform, said, “Today, we are thrilled to announce that ChatGPT is available in preview in Azure OpenAI Service.” Microsoft also said, “Customers can begin using ChatGPT today.” Those statements describe the March 2023 preview announcement, not a guarantee of current access or terms. Read Microsoft’s March 9, 2023 announcement.
Microsoft listed examples of how developers might use the integration:
- Improve existing bots’ responses to unexpected questions.
- Summarize call-center conversations.
- Draft personalized advertising copy.
- Automate claims processing.
- Combine Azure OpenAI with Azure Cognitive Search to retrieve information from enterprise knowledge bases in conversational language.
These were vendor-described examples, not independent evaluations of accuracy, suitability, or business results. A production application still needs testing against its intended tasks and safeguards for sensitive or consequential decisions.
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How to think about using ChatGPT in Azure OpenAI Service
The announcement’s practical use case was building a custom application that uses conversational AI. It was not an instruction to sign in to the ChatGPT consumer product. A developer considering this approach should first identify the application task—such as answering questions over approved enterprise information—then verify which model and deployment options are available for the intended Azure region and workload.
For an enterprise knowledge assistant, Microsoft’s example paired Azure OpenAI with Azure Cognitive Search: the search service retrieves relevant material from a knowledge base, and the conversational model can help present an answer in natural language. That is an architectural example from Microsoft, not a complete implementation guide; the announcement does not specify configuration steps, security settings, or a guaranteed retrieval quality.
What the 2023 numbers mean
Microsoft’s announcement said more than 1,000 customers were applying its advanced AI models—including DALL-E 2, GPT-3.5, Codex, and other large language models—through Azure OpenAI Service. This is Microsoft’s figure as stated in March 2023, not a current customer count. The announcement does not independently verify the number.
The same announcement listed a launch-era ChatGPT price of $0.002 per 1,000 tokens and said billing would begin March 13, 2023. Those are historical terms, not current pricing guidance. Do not use them to estimate a present-day workload; check Microsoft’s current Azure OpenAI pricing information for applicable rates and billing details.
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Is the 2023 ChatGPT preview still available?
The March 2023 announcement establishes that ChatGPT was available in preview then. Microsoft’s current model overview describes a catalog of model names and versions, while its lifecycle documentation distinguishes preview, generally available (GA), legacy, deprecated, and retired stages. The current materials cited here do not establish whether the exact ChatGPT preview deployment announced in 2023 remains available under its original name or terms.
Microsoft says preview models are experimental, may change, and are not recommended for production workloads. A preview deployment may be upgraded to a newer preview version or GA, or retired if there is no replacement. Before building or budgeting around a model, check the model lifecycle guidance, the current model overview, and the documentation for your target region and deployment.
Quick Recap
What developers should verify before deployment
- Model and lifecycle: Confirm the exact model and version, whether it is preview or GA, and what upgrade or retirement path applies.
- Regional availability: Verify that the model and deployment type you need are available in the Azure region selected for your application.
- Current cost: Use current pricing and estimate consumption for your expected workload; the 2023 token price is not a current quote.
- Production readiness: Do not treat preview status as a production recommendation. Evaluate model behavior, application safeguards, and operational risks for the intended use.
- Migration planning: If you depend on a particular model version, understand its lifecycle and how your application would respond to an upgrade or retirement.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
