diff --git a/guidance/models/_azureai_studio.py b/guidance/models/_azureai_studio.py
index 53bd56e07..3d28e7635 100644
--- a/guidance/models/_azureai_studio.py
+++ b/guidance/models/_azureai_studio.py
@@ -3,13 +3,16 @@
 import urllib.parse
 
 import diskcache as dc
-import openai
 import platformdirs
 import requests
 
 from ._model import Chat
 from ._grammarless import GrammarlessEngine, Grammarless
 
+try:
+    import openai
+except ImportError:
+    openai = None
 
 class AzureAIStudioChatEngine(GrammarlessEngine):
     def __init__(