With the advent of artificial intelligence, the old method of searching through various websites to get the intended information has been proven totally obsolete. However, high-quality prompts and features of some of the widely used AI platforms, such as ChatGPT or Gemini, are not accessible for free. This poses a serious barrier for students, especially students from developing countries such as ours, where even the affordability of textbooks is still a matter of concern, let alone premium AI access.
Motivated to solve this issue, two students from Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP), Iftekhar Ucchash Ahmed and Shahriar Sornov have come up with Halum AI, a pay-per-use interface that lets you access all the premium functionalities of the top AI platforms such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, DALL-E 3, etc.
Why the pay-per-use model?
The pay-per-use model of payment is actually convenient for people who do not need a monthly access or are not able to afford one. Not everyone has the funds for a $20 subscription unless they are super-professional users. Others resort to illegal methods, explained the founders.
Halum AI cuts out the risks of pursuing such illegal pathways because there are some risks. Illegal use comes with several drawbacks. Firstly, it has zero privacy since everyone can read your chats and zero stability and support. For instance, those accounts get shut down frequently.
The founders further elaborated the model and compared it to using a typical mobile service provider, just as one might use a SIM to cover his day-to-day calls and internet use. Halum AI is trying to provide AI into everyone’s hands by using a pay-as-you-go model, similar to a regular Grameenphone SIM: you recharge, you use.
Key features
Halum AI’s UI is quite easy to navigate, and the options for selecting your preferred AI platform can be seen just by signing in with your Google account. The user’s payment and prompt history are stored in accordance with this simple sign-in feature. Also, the payment itself is based on the number of prompts, which is super convenient for keeping close track of the expenses made.
The founders clearly had simplicity and ease of switching between different models in mind when designing their multifaceted platform. The user gains access to all models on a single platform, eliminating the need to search different places for different models.
The payment structure is also simplified to fit the needs of the user. Users can use their balance with any model they choose, and we have calculated the costs per model. On each text, the corresponding cost is deducted through Bkash payment for users in Bangladesh as well as Stripe for anyone living abroad.
Iftekhar Ucchash Ahmed also suggests the most efficient and cheapest methods for using Halum AI: “I would suggest our users employ less costly yet powerful models like Gemini 2.0 Flash, OpenAI O3 Mini, etc., to save money and achieve better results.”
Key challenges
Whenever running such a large and multifaceted operation, the key details are not something to be frowned upon. The founders expressed similar thoughts when discussing the cost mechanism in running their platform.
The major cost is the cost incurred by providers like OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, etc. These are calculated on a per-word basis, accounting for approximately 90% of Halum’s expenses. The remaining costs cover the payment gateway and operations, explained the founders.
Yet, they are progressing at breakneck speed since popularity and the number of users are not a matter of concern for such an amazing and affordable service.
The founders expressed their desire to bring forth more functionalities and features through Halum AI to assist in making AI more accessible and affordable to the masses, and as they progress through the years, it is only a matter of time when we might see more innovative solutions coming from such proactive young minds. The need for which cannot be overstated.