ChatGPT is popular but people don’t seem to be willing to pay for it
Over half of those polled said they would not pay to use ChatGPT.
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What you need to know
ChatGPT is a trendy new chatbot that uses artificial intelligence to create content. It also powers thenew Bing. Interest in the service has skyrocketed since it launched in November 2022, with a reported100 million people using itin January of this year. But a user count does not equate to profitability.
OpenAI’s Sam Altman has shared that the processing power required to get an answer costs somewherebetween 1-10 cents on average. Healso explainedthat OpenAi would have to monetize ChatGPT at some point in the future.
We recently ran a poll to see if people would be willing to pay to use ChatGPT. Over half of those polled (54.4%) said that they would not pay anything to use ChatGPT. A significantly smaller 12.53% said they’d pay monthly while 4% said they would pay per usage.
A more promising strategy could be to bundle ChatGPT usage with Microsoft 365. 29% of polled participants said that they would have a Microsoft 365 subscription to use ChatGPT.
Microsoft invested $1 billion into OpenAI in 2019 and announced amulti-billion-dollar investmentin the AI company earlier this year. The new Bing and new Microsoft Edge also use ChatGPT and OpenAI tech. If Microsoft and OpenAI partnered up on the subscription side of things, it could be profitable for both organizations.
Windows Central take
The results of this poll are not surprising. People aren’t used to paying money to use search engines or chatbots. ChatGPT using artificial intelligence and supercomputers doesn’t change the fact that everyday users would prefer not to pay for a service if they don’t have to.
Many services are monetized through ads, and that is likely going to be a big part of ChatGPT’s business model going forward. Microsoft explained that for every single percentage point Bing gains in search market share, Microsoft is set tomake $2 billion annually. The new Bing uses ChatGPT, so it’s reasonable to expect that OpenAI would profit from Microsoft making billions through search.
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Sean Endicott is a tech journalist at Windows Central, specializing in Windows, Microsoft software, AI, and PCs. He’s covered major launches, from Windows 10 and 11 to the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT. Sean’s journey began with the Lumia 740, leading to strong ties with app developers. Outside writing, he coaches American football, utilizing Microsoft services to manage his team. He studied broadcast journalism at Nottingham Trent University and is active on X @SeanEndicott_ and Threads @sean_endicott_.
