Last Updated on
After OpenAI’s launch of the Chat GPT Plus paid subscription plan, the question now arises – will Chat GPT always be free?
From what it seems, Chat GPT will remain free for now. OpenAI even released a statement confirming they will “continue to offer free access” to the AI chatbot. But, will it always be free?
This is very tough to predict. OpenAI originally started off as a non-profit company, offering its products and code for free to the public.
However, as time has passed, OpenAI has now transitioned to a “capped-profit” organization. As shown by their introduction of subscription plans and other paid services.
So, whether or not Chat GPT will always be free is a difficult one to answer. Considering that the AI firm is slowly transitioning to paid services, it seems that Chat GPT may not be free forever.
How much does Chat GPT cost?
Alongside the original free service, OpenAI has recently released a paid subscription plan called Chat GPT Plus.
The new subscription service grants you general access to Chat GPT, even during busy times. According to OpenAI, you will also gain other exclusive benefits, including “faster response” times and “priority access to new features and improvements”.
If you are interested, the plan starts at $20 a month (in the US) or £16 a month (in the UK). OpenAI is looking to expand the service to other regions and countries around the world. However, it is currently unclear which regions these will be.
How much does Chat GPT compute cost?
It is not entirely certain how much Chat GPT costs to run, however, many people online have speculated. Goldstein, a Professor at Maryland, took to Twitter to share his predictions. He suggests the model could cost a whopping $3 million a month (or $100k a day) to run!
But, that is just the running costs. If you were to consider the added costs from building leases, staff wages, and other expenses, the real figure may actually be double this.
Due to the popularity of the tool, these running costs have been increasing. OpenAI even released a paid Chat GPT plan to combat this – and it is no surprise.
Final Thoughts
Will Chat GPT always be free? Well, we don’t really know. However, for now, it is safe to say that Chat GPT will remain free.
If you found this article useful, why not read Chat GPT chrome extension – how it works next?
- NOW READ Why is Chat GPT at capacity?