K
AI assistants & research
Kimi (Moonshot AI)
A large language model from Moonshot AI, positioned as a low-cost option.
A large language model from Moonshot AI, positioned as a low-cost option.
Kimi is a family of large language models built by Moonshot AI. It's available through a chat interface and an API, and it's best known for two things: long context windows that let it handle large amounts of text in a single prompt, and pricing that runs well below many of the bigger-name models.
For anyone comparing model options, Kimi sits in the low-cost tier alongside models like ChatGPT or Claude. It's useful when you need to process a lot of text or run a model at volume without a lot of budget.
Ian ran Kimi as one of the model brains behind OpenClaw, the AI clone agent he built in Episode 003. The appeal was straightforward: it's cheap to run, and cheap matters when an agent is making a lot of calls. Over time, Ian found the outputs got inconsistent, so he moved on to a different model. Kimi came back in Episode 004, where it became the cheap model option Justin switched to inside Hermes while testing lesser-known AI tools.
We keep Kimi in the stack because cost is a real variable when you're running agents at volume, and Kimi is one of the clearest low-cost options to test against. The practical takeaway for an operator: don't assume the cheapest model is the wrong call, test it, but watch for drift. If a model's answers start getting less reliable the longer you run it, that's your cue to switch, which is what happened when Ian used it for OpenClaw.
Kimi is approachable if you just want to open its chat interface and ask questions; it works like any other AI chatbot. Where it gets technical is the API, which is how AI4NTP actually uses it: as a model brain plugged into agents like OpenClaw or Hermes. Most operators won't touch that layer directly. You don't need to know how to wire up Kimi's API to benefit from it. You just need to know it exists as a cheap option when you or your builder are choosing which model powers an agent.
Genuine substitutes for Kimi (Moonshot AI) that we've also run on stage:
Usage-based API pricing; described as a cheap option on the live.
Ian Kilpatrick used it in Episode 003 for tried as a low-cost model brain for OpenClaw; Justin Novak used it in Episode 004 for serving as the cheap model swapped into Hermes; Ian Kilpatrick used it in Session 007 for the model-choice cautionary tale: a bot silently switched to Kimi 2.5 and the difference showed through the agent.
Kimi is approachable if you just want to open its chat interface and ask questions; it works like any other AI chatbot. Where it gets technical is the API, which is how AI4NTP actually uses it: as a model brain plugged into agents like OpenClaw or Hermes. Most operators won't touch that layer directly. You don't need to know how to wire up Kimi's API to benefit from it. You just need to know it exists as a cheap option when you or your builder are choosing which model powers an agent.
Tools we've also used live that can stand in for Kimi (Moonshot AI): ChatGPT, Claude (Anthropic).
| Category | AI assistants & research |
|---|---|
| Pricing | Usage-based API pricing; described as a cheap option on the live. |
| Free tier | Not stated |
| Used live in | Episode 003 and Episode 004 and Session 007 |
| Operator(s) | Ian Kilpatrick, Justin Novak |
| Website | www.moonshot.ai |
On AI4NTP, every tool is shown live by a real operator. These are the people who demoed Kimi (Moonshot AI) on stage.
A designer, developer, and serial entrepreneur writing code since age 10. He has worked with Disney, the Golden Globes, and the AMAs, and now runs a fleet of AI agents doing real work every day.
Founder and host of AI4NTP. He sold his first company from his college dorm room, and as a fractional CMO has helped scale multiple businesses past $50M in ARR.
Explore other tools we've demoed live at AI4NTP:
See tools like Kimi (Moonshot AI) set up live, step by step, on AI4NTP, or get hands-on help putting it to work.