OpenAI launches Decisions API for fast yes no AI evaluations

A faster way to get simple answers

OpenAI has launched a new Decisions API that takes complicated questions and turns them into simple answers like yes, no, or a single choice ¹. The service is currently in public beta, with full availability expected soon .

The big selling point is speed. OpenAI says the Decisions API runs about ten times faster than its existing Responses API, making it much quicker for tasks that don't need long, detailed replies ¹. Right now, it only works with the gpt-6-luna model .

What can it do?

The API handles three kinds of answers ¹:

• Yes/No decisions — The AI gives a probability score for a yes or no answer.
• Pick from a list — Choose from a set of predefined categories.
• Scale ratings — Give a rating along a numbered scale.

Some real-world uses include checking for damage in photos, sorting customer messages into the right department, and organizing documents by type ¹.

Pricing is simple: $0.10 per million input tokens, and output tokens are free ¹. (A token is a small piece of text that the model reads — think of it like a word or part of a word.)

Privacy and rules

For companies that handle sensitive health information, the API supports zero-data retention, meaning OpenAI does not store your data after processing ¹. It is also HIPAA-compliant in the United States and Europe . HIPAA is a US law that sets strict rules for protecting patient health information.

The bigger picture

The Decisions API looks like OpenAI's answer to a growing trend of "decision models" — smaller, faster AI models built specifically for quick choices rather than long conversations. This trend was kicked off by Jev in mid-September ¹.

Alongside the new API, OpenAI also simplified its paid API plans. It cut the number of tiers from five down to three: Build, Launch, and Grow ¹. Organizations move up automatically once they hit certain spending thresholds, with monthly usage limits of $500, $5,000, and $200,000 respectively .

Why it matters

For developers building apps that need fast, reliable answers, the Decisions API could save time and money. Instead of asking a powerful AI model to think through a long explanation, they can now get straight to the point — and do it roughly ten times faster.

As AI tools become more common in business and healthcare, simple, fast, and private decision-making APIs could make a real difference in how quickly and safely companies use AI day to day.

Key facts

• The Decisions API runs about 10x faster than the Responses API ¹
• Only gpt-6-luna is supported in public beta ¹
• Pricing is $0.10 per million input tokens; output tokens are free ¹
• OpenAI cut its paid API tiers from five to three ¹
• The API is HIPAA-compliant and supports zero-data retention ¹

Sources

1. OpenAI launches Decisions API that reduces complex evaluations to yes, no, or pick one — the-decoder.com
2. Amazon Web Services — en.wikipedia.org
3. Google Translate — en.wikipedia.org
4. Peter Thiel — en.wikipedia.org