AI Usage Control & External Controller Routing for AI Mode

As AI usage scales, one of the main challenges for platform owners is managing and optimizing API costs. Currently, AI Mode sends all queries directly to OpenAI without an option to control or filter requests.

We would like to suggest the following enhancements for future versions of eDirectory:

1. External Controller / API Routing Option

   • Allow AI Mode queries to be routed to a configurable external endpoint before calling OpenAI

   • This would enable custom logic such as:
     • Filtering simple queries (handled internally)
     • Deciding when OpenAI is necessary
     • Integrating with external AI systems or knowledge bases

2. AI Usage Controls

   • Ability to define query limits (per user / per day)

   • Option to restrict AI access by membership level (e.g., Premium only)

   • Toggle to enable/disable AI Mode per page or module

3. Cost Management Visibility

   • Basic usage tracking (e.g., number of AI queries triggered)

   • Optional logging or reporting to help monitor API consumption

🎯 Why this matters:
These features would allow directory owners to:

• Scale AI responsibly

• Align AI usage with monetization (e.g., Premium listings)

• Avoid uncontrolled API costs

• Extend eDirectory’s AI capabilities beyond default OpenAI behavior

We believe this would significantly enhance the flexibility and long-term scalability of AI Mode across all eDirectory-powered platforms.