ChatGPT, OpenAI’s chatbot currently blowing the world’s mind, has begun offering some users a paid-for subscription that apparently costs $42/m (R720/m). OpenAI has yet to speak publicly about the new offering, though it did mention earlier this month that it was exploring avenues that would allow it to earn some money off the back of its chatbot.
Professionals have standards! (and high prices)
The prices and features users have confirmed may not stick around until the service’s official launch – whenever that may be. As the AI company said earlier this month: “Please keep in mind that this is an early experimental program that is subject to change, and we are not making paid pro access generally available at this time.”
So, what does a R720/m subscription get you? Thanks to a few users that were offered the Pro model, we have a basic idea of what to expect once it launches. The best ‘feature’ is the promise of constant access to ChatGPT – since it’s often down for users trying the free beta. There’s a (way) faster response time and “priority access to new features.” The problem is; we don’t know what those are.
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Zahid Khawaja is one of the reasons we know of the subscription model in the first place. He posted a video to Twitter showing off the faster response time and confirmed the $42/m price tag that’s been floating around. In the video, he asks ChatGPT to write an essay about climate change, to which it obliged extremely quickly.
Here’s how ChatGPT Pro works! A lot of users were asking me for proof, so I decided to make a video. pic.twitter.com/QYNn3pRnxI
— Zahid Khawaja (@chillzaza_) January 21, 2023
It’s likely that prices will only go down as more people start showing interest in a faster and more reliable chatbot. Why? Every other AI business in the world is working on a paid-for subscription bot. It won’t matter whether these cheap(er) knockoffs can match OpenAI’s quality if the cost is cheaper for a similar build. To the casual user, R720/m is far too much to be spending on a service that isn’t earning them their money back.
Source: The Verge
