OpenAI, the leading artificial intelligence company, recently announced that it will begin charging for its popular ChatGPT chatbot, which has managed to gain popularity thanks to its ability to write essays, emails, poems and even programming code. The paid version of ChatGPT will be called ChatGPT Professional, according to a waitlist link that OpenAI posted on the Discord server. This link includes questions about user payment preferences, including “At what price (per month) would you consider ChatGPT to be so expensive that you wouldn’t buy it?”
What the ChatGPT Professional version will look like
OpenAI has mentioned that they are “starting to think about how to monetize ChatGPT” to “ensure the long-term viability” of this tool.
The waitlist also details the benefits of ChatGPT Professional, which include no “blackout” (i.e., unavailability) windows, no limitations and an unlimited number of messages with ChatGPT, “at least double the regular daily limit.” OpenAI mentions that those who complete the waiting list form may be selected to try ChatGPT Professional, but that the program is still in experimental stages and will not be widely available “at this time.”
Despite certain controversies and prohibitions, ChatGPT has proven to be a great advertising success for OpenAI, attracting media attention and generating countless memes on social networks. Some investors have implemented ChatGPT in their work processes and it has been used in advertising campaigns, such as the one Ryan Reynolds used for his phone company Mint Mobile. In addition, it is rumored that Microsoft will incorporate the AI behind ChatGPT into its Office suite and Bing.
You knew it was just a matter of time until we did this (extend the @MintMobile savings with @OpenAI, that is). pic.twitter.com/uf2jblpG2j
— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) January 10, 2023
With more than one million users as of December last year, it is clear that ChatGPT has managed to attract a large number of users, however, it is very expensive to operate.
According to OpenAI co-founder and CEO Sam Altman, ChatGPT’s operating expenses are “incredibly high,” with a few cents per chat in total computing costs. (ChatGPT is hosted on Microsoft’s Azure cloud).
OpenAI is under pressure to make a profit on products like ChatGPT ahead of a rumored potential $10 billion investment from Microsoft. OpenAI expects to make $200 million in 2023, a figure far short of the more than $1 billion that has been invested in the startup so far.
According to recent reports, Microsoft is looking to get a 49% stake in OpenAI, which would value the company at around $29 billion. Under the terms of the deal, Microsoft would receive three-quarters of OpenAI’s profits until it recoups its investment, with other investors getting 49% and OpenAI retaining the remaining 2% in equity. OpenAI has an unusual corporate structure, operating under a “capped profit” model that limits its investors’ returns to 100 times their investment, or possibly less in the future.
Via TechCrunch
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