Your AI-Generated Chats Are About To Get Better—for a Price

ChatGPT is going pro—or at least, it’s attempting to finally bring in the big bucks. 

It’s the signature product of OpenAI, the San Francisco-based creator of the viral chatbot that has fascinated tech users and that journalists have been monkeying around with for free the past few months. The company recently announced on its Discord that “it’s starting to think about how to monetize” the product, according to TechCrunch.

And that includes launching a pilot program for testing a paid, “experimental” version of the AI-based scribe to be called, ChatGPT Professional, according to a Google Form waitlist. This souped-up ChatGPT promises to be nimbler and have fewer limitations than its free version, with no blackout windows, no throttling and at least twice the daily limit on messaging with the AI.  

However, only those selected for the pilot program will have the privilege of paying for these extra perks, as the paid version won’t be available to the general public at this time. Its cost is not listed on the waitlist, though prospective test pilots can weigh in on how much they’d be willing to pay. 

TechCrunch reports that OpenAI is under pressure to bring in revenue as a rumored $10 billion investment from Microsoft looms. Over $1 billion has been invested in OpenAI so far, but the startup only expects to make $200 million in 2023, but could make as much as $1 billion in 2024. It remains to be seen if AI will take your job or do your homework, but it appears the technology is one step closer to taking a crack at your wallet.