OpenAI, the creator behind the widespread ChatGPT has announced that it will soon start charging for the AI via a monetized version that will be called ChatGPT Professional. According to OpenAI, via its Discord server, it is “starting to think about how to monetize ChatGPT” as a way to “ensure long-term viability.”
ChatGPT was launched in November last year and garnered a million users in a matter of days. The AI-powered chatbot has the ability to write essays, poems, and even computer codes.
OpenAI has also launched a waitlist. The waitlist link was posted via its Discord server, and asked interested people about their payment preferences including “At what price (per month) would you consider ChatGPT to be so expensive that you would not consider buying it?”
The benefits of subscribing to ChatGPT Professional were also highlighted on the waitlist link. They include; no blackout window, no throttling and an unlimited number of messages with ChatGPT which OpenAI says is “at least 2x the regular daily limit.” It also added that people who fill out the waitlist form may be chosen to pilot ChatGPT Professional while emphasizing that the program is currently in its experimental stages and won’t be made widely available at this time.
As of December 2022, ChatGPT had over a million users and has started to gain the attention of investors. Microsoft is reportedly in talks to invest $10 billion in OpenAI, according to a report by Semanfor. The deal is reported to be a part of a funding round with a handful of other investors that will see the valuation of OpenAI go up to $29 billion, according to sources familiar with the matter. “It’s unclear if the deal has been finalized but documents sent to prospective investors in recent weeks outlining its terms indicated a targeted close by the end of 2022,” Semanfor reported.
