OpenAI is exploring the possibility of significantly increasing subscription prices for upcoming versions of its ChatGPT chatbot.
A source with direct knowledge of the discussions revealed that OpenAI has internally considered subscription prices as high as $2,000 per month. No final decision has been made, The Information reports.
These pricing discussions stem from the enormous operating costs associated with ChatGPT, particularly due to the hundreds of millions of users accessing the chat service for free.
The introduction of more advanced models like Strawberry and Orion, which are expected to improve logical reasoning capabilities, could further increase these costs.
The Strawberry technology, in particular, is said to benefit from extended computing times before generating a response. Initially, it's unlikely to be released as a standalone model. Instead, it is reportedly being used to generate training data for the upcoming Orion language model.
A higher monthly fee could also indicate OpenAI's confidence that its AI technology provides such significant value to businesses that they would be willing to pay amounts comparable to human labor costs for AI assistance.
ChatGPT Enterprise reaches 1 million users
In related news, Bloomberg reports that OpenAI has now surpassed 1 million paying users for its enterprise-focused ChatGPT versions. According to OpenAI, this figure includes the total number of users signed up for ChatGPT Team and Enterprise services, as well as individuals at universities using ChatGPT Edu, which launched in May. The company had previously announced 600,000 enterprise users in April.
OpenAI reports that just under half of its enterprise users are based in the United States. Outside the U.S., the chatbot is most popular with business users in Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom. A year ago, the company introduced ChatGPT Enterprise, which offers additional features and enhanced privacy measures. In January, the company launched ChatGPT Team, aimed at smaller businesses.
