The mass distribution of cutting-edge technology for free is unsustainable in the medium term. For this reason, I support making ChatGPT a paid application with a modest free trial. As for potential complaints about this change in access, it is worth noting that local open-source models already exist to cover basic everyday needs.
#Support for changing ChatGPT access
thin moss
thin moss
OpenAI’s fear of falling behind in the AI market is evident. Perhaps the company’s strategists believe that cutting off free access to ChatGPT would be economic self-destruction, as it is expected that the overwhelming majority of users would migrate to other AIs, such as Gemini and Meta AI, following such a decision.
The flaw in this line of thinking is failing to notice the staggering number of humans around the world. It isn't even necessary for all 8 billion people to use other AIs on a weekly basis, because even relatively smaller numbers are enough to overwhelm Big Tech data centers. OpenAI could adopt the narrative: 'Use our AI and have unlimited, high-quality access, or use Gemini and Meta AI only to see ads in your low-quality chats.'
There is one more point: with a much smaller user base, it would be far easier to lower service prices and maintain ChatGPT over time. As I mentioned, if one is going to use low-quality AI, it would be better to migrate to local open-source models. That was all I had to say.
thin moss
To avoid an abrupt transition in access changes proposed in the previous idea, OpenAI could create two versions of ChatGPT:
1 – ChatGPT → Paid + free trial.
2 – ChatGPT (Lite) → Free. Powered by ChatGPT-4o Mini (text-only; no image or video creation or analysis).