What APIs do I need to integrate AI?

Three categories: (1) AI API—OpenAI, Anthropic, or Google for the intelligence; (2) Data APIs—your CRM, database, calendar for context; (3) Action APIs—email, Slack, ticket systems for output. You need at minimum one AI API plus whatever APIs your AI needs to read from or write to.

How do I get API keys for AI?

For OpenAI: platform.openai.com → API keys → Create. For Anthropic: console.anthropic.com → API keys. For Google: Google Cloud Console → enable AI APIs. For your systems: Check each platform's developer settings. Most have a free tier for testing.

Are API costs per month or per use?

AI APIs are typically pay-per-use (per token). Data and action APIs vary: CRMs often include API in subscription, custom systems may have per-call pricing, middleware (Zapier) uses subscription plans. Expect $10-100/month for AI API usage in typical SME applications.

What APIs Do I Need for AI Integration?

APIs are how AI talks to the world. Here's what you need and how to set it up.

API Categories

Category	Purpose	Examples
AI API	The intelligence	OpenAI, Anthropic, Google
Data APIs	Context & information	CRM, database, docs
Action APIs	Doing things	Email, calendar, tickets
Middleware	Connecting systems	Zapier, Make, n8n

AI APIs (The Brain)

You need at least one AI API:

OpenAI: GPT-4o, GPT-4o-mini — platform.openai.com
Anthropic: Claude 3.5 Sonnet, Haiku — console.anthropic.com
Google: Gemini Pro, Flash — Google Cloud Console
Ollama Cloud: Various models — flat subscription

Common Data APIs

Where AI gets context:

System	What AI Gets	API Access
Salesforce	Customer data, deals	Native API
HubSpot	Contacts, tickets	Native API
Notion	Docs, knowledge base	Native API
Google Drive	Files, sheets	Google API
kintone	Records, apps	REST API

Common Action APIs

How AI takes action:

Email: SendGrid, Postmark, Mailgun, Gmail API
Calendar: Google Calendar API, Outlook, Calendly
Communication: Slack API, Teams, LINE
Tickets: Zendesk, Jira, Freshdesk
SMS: Twilio, Vonage

Getting API Keys

Step-by-step for common APIs:

OpenAI: platform.openai.com → Sign up → API Keys → Create new key
Anthropic: console.anthropic.com → Sign up → API Keys → Create
Your CRM: Settings → Integrations → API → Generate key
Google: console.cloud.google.com → Enable APIs → Create credentials

API Security

Protect your API keys:

Never commit to git: Use environment variables
Rotate regularly: Change keys every 3-6 months
Limited scope: Create keys with minimum permissions
Monitoring: Watch for unusual usage
IP restrictions: Limit to your server IPs if possible

Cost Expectations

API	Pricing Model	Typical Monthly
OpenAI/Anthropic	Per token	$10-100
CRMs (Salesforce, etc.)	Included in plan	$0 extra
Zapier/Make	Subscription	$20-100
Email (SendGrid)	Per email	$15-50

Rate Limits

All APIs have limits:

OpenAI: Varies by tier (3-10k RPM)
Anthropic: Varied by plan
CRMs: Often 100-1000 calls/minute
Handle limits: Implement retries with backoff

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