智谱AI | 致力于打造新一代认知智能通用模型
The world is rapidly transforming with the rise of 人工智能 (Artificial Intelligence), and at the heart of this revolution are Large Language Models (LLMs), or 大模型. These sophisticated models are redefining how we interact with technology, automate complex tasks, and generate creative content. In this competitive landscape, Zhipu AI (智谱AI), a company spun out of the prestigious Tsinghua University’s KEG lab, has emerged as a formidable leader. With its powerful flagship model family, ChatGLM, Zhipu AI is not just participating in the AI race; it’s setting new standards for performance, accessibility, and innovation, particularly in bilingual contexts. This article will serve as your comprehensive guide to the Zhipu AI ecosystem, diving deep into its powerful features, transparent pricing, and practical applications. Whether you are a developer looking to integrate cutting-edge AI, a business seeking to leverage AIGC, or an enthusiast curious about the future of cognitive intelligence, discover why Zhipu AI is the partner you need.
Core Features of Zhipu AI’s Large Model Platform

Zhipu AI offers more than just a single model; it provides a comprehensive platform built around a family of powerful and versatile 大模型. These models are designed to be integrated seamlessly into various applications, offering state-of-the-art capabilities that cater to a wide range of needs, from simple content creation to complex, multi-turn conversational AI and multimodal understanding.
The Power of the ChatGLM Family
The cornerstone of the 智谱AI platform is the ChatGLM series. This family of models, including the high-performance GLM-4 and the cost-effective GLM-3 Turbo, is engineered for excellence. One of its most significant advantages is its exceptional bilingual proficiency in both Chinese and English, a direct result of its unique training data and architecture. This makes ChatGLM an ideal choice for global applications and for businesses operating in multilingual environments. The latest flagship, GLM-4, has demonstrated top-tier performance on numerous international benchmarks, rivaling and even surpassing other leading models in areas like reasoning, instruction following, and Chinese language alignment. Furthermore, Zhipu AI’s commitment to the open-source community, with earlier versions of GLM models being publicly available, has fostered a robust ecosystem of developers and researchers who contribute to its continuous improvement. This blend of proprietary innovation and open collaboration ensures that the ChatGLM family remains at the cutting edge of 人工智能 technology.
Advanced Capabilities: Multimodality and “All Tools”
Zhipu AI pushes the boundaries of what a 大模型 can do by integrating advanced capabilities directly into its platform. Its multimodal technology, exemplified by the CogVLM model, allows applications to understand and process both text and images. This opens up a world of possibilities, from generating detailed descriptions of pictures to answering complex questions based on visual data. Even more revolutionary is the “All Tools” feature integrated into GLM-4. This allows the model to autonomously understand a user’s intent and call upon external tools—such as a code interpreter, web browser, or drawing tool—to fulfill the request. For example, a user could ask the model to “analyze this data file, generate a visualization, and summarize the key findings.” The model would intelligently use the code interpreter to run analysis, the drawing tool to create a chart, and its own language capabilities to provide a summary, all within a single interaction. This turns the ChatGLM model from a simple text generator into a powerful, autonomous agent capable of solving complex, multi-step problems.
Transparent and Competitive Pricing: Accessing Zhipu AI’s Power

One of the most critical factors for developers and businesses adopting a new AI platform is the cost. 智谱AI addresses this with a transparent, competitive, and developer-friendly pricing model designed to make its powerful 大模型 accessible to everyone, from individual hobbyists to large enterprises. The platform primarily operates on a pay-as-you-go basis, ensuring you only pay for what you use. This model is based on “tokens,” which are pieces of words used to process language. For new users, Zhipu AI generously provides a substantial free quota of tokens, allowing you to thoroughly test and integrate models like ChatGLM into your applications before committing financially.
Here is an illustrative breakdown of the pricing for some of Zhipu AI’s popular models (prices are subject to change, please refer to the official website for the latest information):
| Model | Price (per 1,000 tokens) | Key Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| GLM-4 | ¥0.1 CNY | Complex reasoning, multi-turn dialogue, tool usage |
| GLM-3 Turbo | ¥0.005 CNY | High-throughput, cost-effective text generation, chat |
| CogVLM (Text) | ¥0.008 CNY | Multimodal understanding, image-to-text tasks |
| Embedding-2 | ¥0.0005 CNY | Semantic search, text similarity, retrieval tasks |
This tiered pricing structure allows you to choose the perfect balance between performance and cost for your specific needs. For instance, you might use the powerful GLM-4 for your core, complex logic while leveraging the highly economical GLM-3 Turbo for more routine chat interactions, optimizing your overall spend without sacrificing quality. This flexibility is a key reason why developers are increasingly turning to the 智谱AI platform.
Zhipu AI vs. The Competition: Why Choose ChatGLM?

In a market with excellent options like OpenAI’s GPT series and Anthropic’s Claude, making the right choice depends on your specific needs. Zhipu AI has carved out a unique position by offering a compelling combination of performance, cost-effectiveness, and specialized features. The ChatGLM series stands out as a particularly strong contender, especially for applications requiring robust bilingual capabilities.
Here’s a comparative look at how Zhipu AI stacks up against other major players:
| Feature | Zhipu AI (ChatGLM) | OpenAI (GPT-4) | Anthropic (Claude 3) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bilingual Performance | Excellent, especially strong in Chinese language nuances. | Very good, but can sometimes lack cultural context. | Strong, with a focus on safety and neutrality. |
| Cost-Effectiveness | Highly competitive, with models like GLM-3 Turbo offering great value. | Premium pricing for top-tier models. | Competitive, with various models at different price points. |
| Integrated Tooling | Advanced “All Tools” feature for autonomous agent-like behavior. | “Function Calling” provides a structured way to connect to tools. | Also offers strong tool-use capabilities. |
| Platform Openness | Strong ties to the open-source community and a developer-friendly API. | Primarily proprietary, though with extensive API access. | Proprietary with a focus on enterprise and safety. |
The primary advantage of choosing 智谱AI lies in its unparalleled Chinese language processing, making it the undisputed choice for the Greater China market or any application targeting Chinese-speaking users. Beyond language, its pricing model, especially for the high-performance GLM-3 Turbo, offers a significant cost advantage for high-volume applications. Finally, the native integration of “All Tools” in GLM-4 provides a glimpse into the future of 人工智能, where models act as proactive problem-solvers, a feature that is both powerful and elegantly implemented on the Zhipu AI platform.
Getting Started with the Zhipu AI API: A Quick Guide

Integrating the power of ChatGLM into your application is remarkably straightforward thanks to Zhipu AI’s well-documented API and official SDKs. You can go from signing up to making your first API call in just a few minutes.
Here is a simple, step-by-step guide to get you started:
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Create an Account: Navigate to the Zhipu AI open platform at
open.bigmodel.cnand sign up for a new account. -
Generate an API Key: Once registered, go to your user dashboard and find the API key management section. Generate a new key and copy it securely. This key will authenticate all your requests.
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Install the SDK: Open your terminal or command prompt and install the official Python SDK.
pip install zhipuai -
Make Your First API Call: Now you can use the SDK to interact with the ChatGLM models. The following Python code snippet demonstrates how to make a simple chat completion request to the GLM-4 model.
from zhipuai import ZhipuAI # Replace with your own API key client = ZhipuAI(api_key="YOUR_API_KEY") response = client.chat.completions.create( model="glm-4", # Choose the model, e.g., glm-4 or glm-3-turbo messages=[ {"role": "system", "content": "You are a helpful assistant."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Hello, can you introduce Zhipu AI in one sentence?"} ], ) # Print the model's response print(response.choices[0].message.content)
This simple example showcases the elegance and ease of use of the Zhipu AI API. With just a few lines of code, you have unlocked the advanced reasoning and language capabilities of a state-of-the-art 大模型, ready to be integrated into your projects.
Conclusion: The Future is Cognitive with Zhipu AI

Zhipu AI (智谱AI) has firmly established itself as a global powerhouse in the field of 人工智能. By offering a suite of exceptionally powerful 大模型 like ChatGLM, it provides developers and businesses with the tools they need to build the next generation of intelligent applications. Its key strengths—superior bilingual performance, highly competitive and transparent pricing, advanced features like “All Tools,” and a developer-first approach—make it an incredibly compelling choice in the crowded AI market. Whether your goal is to create sophisticated chatbots, automate complex workflows, or pioneer new forms of AIGC, the Zhipu AI platform provides the performance, flexibility, and support necessary for success. The journey into the future of cognitive intelligence is underway, and Zhipu AI is an essential partner for anyone looking to lead the charge. Explore the platform, leverage the free credits, and begin building with one of the most advanced AI systems available today.