If you are interested in the most advanced artificial intelligence models from OpenAI, you may need to ask your bank for a loan to try them out. The company behind ChatGPT is reportedly considering a significant increase in fees for their premium service ChatGPT Plus, which would represent a major shift in their business model.
Currently, the ChatGPT Plus subscription service costs $20 per month, but some sources consulted by The Information suggest that OpenAI could increase this price to $2,000, without clarifying whether it would be a monthly or annual fee. This measure, not yet confirmed, could be a strategy to stabilize the company’s financing, amid rumors that it is facing serious financial difficulties.
The possible price increase in the ChatGPT Plus subscription could be related to the development of new, more advanced artificial intelligence models. One of these models, called “Strawberry,” was recently announced and would focus on solving complex problems, such as multistep mathematical equations that require a level of reasoning similar to humans (multistep reasoning).
This new model would employ new “post-training” techniques to improve its performance, using real data and human feedback. In addition, Strawberry would provide information for the development of an even more advanced model called “Orion,” which may arrive this fall.
The alleged economic problems of OpenAI would make a lot of sense if we consider the costs involved in an AI. Keeping the current models running has an estimated cost of $700,000 per day and, although ChatGPT Premium was expected to generate up to $2 billion annually, that figure may not be enough to cover the expenses associated with the development and maintenance of these sophisticated AI systems. A recent article from The Information pointed out that OpenAI could lose up to $5 billion this year and, without any extra capital, the company could run out of liquidity in approximately 12 months.
The supposed $2,000 subscription would practically function as a barrier to entry for the most advanced capabilities of AI, thus marking a drastic change, of course, regarding OpenAI’s mission to “ensure that artificial intelligence benefits all of humanity.”
