SIMUN runs on a bring-your-own-key system. Instead of us charging you for every delegate and chair speech the AI generates on our server, you use your own API key and pay the AI company directly. There's no middleman markup or hidden charges, just the real cost of the AI work your simulation uses, which isn't much.

You may have only used AI through a website or chatbot like Claude, Gemini, or ChatGPT, so an "API key" may sound uncomfortably technical. But getting one is so simple. The videos on the left guide you through it in a few easy steps.

An API key (Application Programming Interface) allows one software to talk to another. SIMUN supports several AI models of varying cost and sophistication. Once you provide SIMUN with your chosen API key, it uses this to to run the AI simulation. The AI model directly charges you for every turn you play on SIMUN.

Like a password, an API key is a string of letters and numbers sk-ant-xxxxxxxx that proves the request, and the bill for it, belongs to you. SIMUN uses your key only to run your simulation. It never stores or shares it. Like any other password, you too should never share it with anyone or post it publicly.

AI credits are deducted for each turn during the simulation, but the amount for each turn is tiny and there are many turns per MUN session. So the real question is, how much does it cost to play an entire MUN session right up to the conclusion where the best delegate is announced.

API billing works like a prepaid phone plan. You load a small amount of credit onto your key, and it ticks down as SIMUN uses the model on your behalf. Providers typically suggest starting with around $5 of credit, which at roughly $2 a session means you can comfortably run a committee two times over, try a different topic, or replay a session with a different approach.

For the price of a Starbucks coffee that vanishes in under thirty minutes, you can enjoy a full day of diplomatic intrigue.

Anthropic is the company behind Claude. Their developer platform is called the Claude Console.

1. Go to console.anthropic.com and sign up with your email, Google account, or single sign-on.
2. Once logged in, open the API Keys section from the left-hand menu.
3. Click Create Key, give it a short descriptive name (e.g. "my project"), and confirm.
4. Copy the key immediately and store it somewhere safe (for security reasons, Anthropic will only show you the full key once).
5. Open Plans & Billing and add a payment method, then add a small amount of credit (Anthropic suggests starting around $5) so the key is active and ready to use.

Which Claude Model Should I Use for a Committee Session?

Claude comes in three main tiers. All of them are paid but the price difference between tiers is large, so picking the right one matters a lot for your budget.

A simple rule of thumb: use Haiku only to confirm your key is working, run Sonnet for realistic debate and only reach for Opus if you want the best quality available and have the budget for it.

Google's AI models are called Gemini. The only platfrom supported by SIMUN that provides a free key is Google AI Studio.

1. Go to aistudio.google.com/app/apikey and sign in with your Google account.
2. Click Create API key.
3. Choose to create it in a new project (AI Studio will set this up automatically for you) or an existing Google Cloud project if you already have one.
4. Your key appears on screen — copy it. Unlike Anthropic and OpenAI, Google lets you come back and view the key again later from the AI Studio dashboard if you lose it.

Which Gemini Model Should I Use for a Committee Session?

OpenAI makes the GPT models behind ChatGPT. Their developer site, the OpenAI Platform, is a completely separate system from ChatGPT.com — so a ChatGPT Plus subscription does not give you API access or credit, and API usage has to be paid for separately.

1. Go to platform.openai.com and sign in (or sign up) with your email, Google, or Microsoft account.
2. If this is your first time, OpenAI will ask you to create an "organization" and a "project" — just follow the prompts and accept the defaults if you're not sure.
3. Open the API keys page, directly at platform.openai.com/api-keys.
4. Click Create new secret key, name it, and create it.
5. Copy the key right away — like Anthropic, OpenAI only displays the full key once.
6. Open Billing in the Platform and add a payment method and some credit if you see an "insufficient quota" error when you try to use the key.

Which OpenAI Model Should I Use for a Committee Session?

OpenAI's current line-up follows a similar "small, medium, large" pattern to Claude's and Gemini's, just with different names.

OpenAI renames and re-releases these fairly often (you may see version numbers attached, like GPT-5 or newer), but the nano / mini / full-size pattern — and the price ladder that goes with it — tends to stay the same.

Here's the short version, to help you decide where to start. "Session cost" is for a full SIMUN committee on each provider's recommended mid-tier model.