How do I protect myself from extreme overbilling?

API
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I am working on a final project for a course at themultiverse.school and chose to automate use of AutoGen so that a LLM can handle more ambiguous prompts to higher quality. The first prompt that came to mind is “write a book of human history.” Now, I’m just some guy. What are some good and meaningful ways I protect myself from extreme bills?

I know about limiting the total spend in a month, but I’m not thrilled about how rigid that is. I could chose another prompt, but any sufficiently open-ended prompt faces the same problem. My ideal outcome would be to thrown into a “researchers bucket,” have my prompts closely monitored for abuse or commercial use, a reduced API rate, and if something gets out of hand I get a call asking if it should be killed.

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You could introduce an approval stage where the prompt request is loaded into some sort of database, and then you can sign it off to be executed if you are happy with it. Pretty similar to employees asking a supervisor to sign off on a task.

Then you can begin adding conditions to auto-submit, if for example the expected cost is less than whatever amount.

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Forgive me for if this is the wrong answer . I use a free service called Privacy(dot)com Essentially, for any online company where I need to fund a project, I create a virtual card linked to my own bank account (no funny business). Let me give you an example: If I’m paying for cellphone service, which is often known for overcharging, I use a Revolving Privacy card with a limit set around $200 for internet and cellphone service. If the total amount exceeds this limit, the card is automatically blocked, and I receive an alert. The card will be declined no matter how many times it’s attempted to be used beyond the limit. It’s completely automated.

Have you ever tried a free trial and forgotten about it? Privacy(dot)com also offers one-time use cards. You can set limits per charge, per use, or per total, giving you full control. They also offer commercial cards for a small fee if you want to share cards with friends, family, or businesses. And not have to worry that you will overbilled, because you set your limit. Gonna feel stupid if this is not what you asked for but… i hope this helps lol. ::