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A lifetime's worth of ChatGPT? OpenAI could launch weekly and lifetime AI subscription plans

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OpenAI could introduce weekly and lifetime subscription plans for ChatGPT Plus.

OpenAI logo on phone 16x9
(Image credit: Getty Images| SOPA Images)

Last year, OpenAI was rumored to be on the verge of bankruptcy, with projections of making a $5 billion loss within 12 months. However, investors, including Microsoft, NVIDIA, and Thrive Capital, raised $6.6 billion, pushing the company's market valuation to $156 billion.

More recently, the AI firm held another round of funding led by SoftBank, raising $40 billion, pushing its market capitalization to $300 billion. Still, OpenAI struggles to establish a clear profitability path, partly due to its tie-up with Microsoft.

The company's losses are predominantly attributed to the cost of training and running advanced AI models, employee salaries, data, and more. To counter this major setback, the ChatGPT maker has floated the idea of introducing costly subscription plans for its advanced AI models that think harder for the most complex problems.

It now seems that OpenAI will introduce weekly and lifetime subscription plans to access its advanced AI services. Currently, OpenAI's subscription plans can be paid monthly or annually.

According to a spot by @M1Astra on X (via Android Authority), an APK teardown of ChatGPT's latest build reveals that OpenAI might soon introduce a weekly and lifetime subscription plan.

The code strings indicate that the change could impact OpenAI's ChatGPT Plus (which costs $20 monthly). However, users can get yearly subscriptions to ChatGPT Team or Enterprise offerings.

As such, OpenAI introducing a weekly subscription plan for ChatGPT isn't farfetched, and seems more practical for users who require access to its advanced features on occasion.

However, it'll be interesting to see how OpenAI pulls the lifetime subscription plan for ChatGPT Plus and if users will adopt it. As you may know, generative AI is ever-evolving, and it seems to be getting expensive as it scales to greater heights.

What are your thoughts on a lifetime subscription plan for ChatGPT Plus? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Kevin Okemwa
Kevin Okemwa
Contributor

Kevin Okemwa is a seasoned tech journalist based in Nairobi, Kenya with lots of experience covering the latest trends and developments in the industry at Windows Central. With a passion for innovation and a keen eye for detail, he has written for leading publications such as OnMSFT, MakeUseOf, and Windows Report, providing insightful analysis and breaking news on everything revolving around the Microsoft ecosystem. While AFK and not busy following the ever-emerging trends in tech, you can find him exploring the world or listening to music.

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