San Francisco-based Artificial intelligence startup OpenAI has unveiled a new pilot subscription plan for its viral AI chatbot, ChatGPT. Dubbed as ChatGPT Plus, the $20 monthly plan offers priority access to the chatbot during peak hours, faster response times and priority access to new features and improvements. The move marks the company’s first attempt to monetize its highly popular text-generating AI, which has drawn major media attention and a massive following since its release in November.
ChatGPT Plus: An Upgrade Over Free ChatGPT
Dubbed ChatGPT Plus and starting at $20 per month, the new subscription plan offers a range of benefits over the free ChatGPT tier, according to OpenAI. The company confirmed that the free version of ChatGPT will remain available, while the Plus subscription will deliver faster response times, priority access to new features and improvements, and general access to ChatGPT during peak times.
“We launched ChatGPT as a research preview so we could learn more about the system’s strengths and weaknesses and gather user feedback to help us improve upon its limitations,” OpenAI said in a blog post. “Since then, millions of people have given us feedback, we’ve made several important updates, and we’ve seen users find value across a range of professional use cases, including drafting and editing content, brainstorming ideas, programming help, and learning new topics.”
Availability of ChatGPT Plus
At present, ChatGPT Plus is only available to customers in the United States, with OpenAI stating that it will begin inviting people from its waitlist in the coming months and expand to other countries and regions soon.
“We love our free users and will continue to offer free access to ChatGPT,” OpenAI said. “By offering this subscription pricing, we will be able to help support free access available to as many people as possible. We plan to refine and expand this offering based on your feedback and needs.”
More Plans in the Pipeline
OpenAI hinted that ChatGPT Plus might be the first of several plans to come, as the company is “actively exploring” options for lower-cost plans, business plans, data packs, and an API.
“We plan to refine and expand this offering based on your feedback and needs,” the company added.
Monetizing a Viral Phenomenon
Despite controversy and several bans, ChatGPT has proven to be a publicity win for OpenAI, attracting major media attention and spawning countless memes on social media. The AI chatbot had over a million users as of early December, a significant number by any measure. However, the service comes with a hefty operating cost, with OpenAI co-founder and CEO Sam Altman calling the expenses “eye-watering” and amounting to a few cents per chat in total compute costs.
OpenAI is under pressure to turn a profit on products like ChatGPT after a multi-billion-dollar investment from Microsoft, with the company aiming to make $200 million in 2023.
Microsoft’s Integration with OpenAI’s Text-Generating Tech
In a move aimed at making Bing more competitive with Google, Microsoft is reportedly working to incorporate OpenAI’s text-generating tech into Bing in the coming weeks. According to Semafor, this integration will bring new capabilities and features to the search engine.
The integration of OpenAI’s technology will give Bing a competitive edge over Google, as the search engine will be able to provide more comprehensive and accurate information in a more conversational manner. This will attract more users to the platform, which will increase Bing’s market share and help it to establish itself as a leading player in the industry. The integration will also have a positive impact on the advertising industry, as it will provide more opportunities for targeted and personalized advertising. With the ability to understand user intent, Bing will be able to deliver more relevant and personalized ads, which will result in higher engagement and conversions.
Separately, OpenAI is planning to introduce a mobile ChatGPT app in the future.
