Hosts Lauren Goode and Michael Calore speak with WIRED staff writer Reece Rogers about expensive AI subscription services.
Many AI companies, from OpenAI to Grok to Google, have launched top-tier chatbot subscriptions that all cost around $200 a month; they bill these subscriptions as more powerful and with fewer restrictions than their free or cheaper alternatives.
But what these companies are really banking on is future-proofing; they bet that as AI becomes more powerful and ubiquitous in the next few years, companies and wealthy consumers will be willing to pay almost any price for cutting-edge AI.
The subscriberPackages are cheap for these companies; they merely serve as a way to subsidize the billions of dollars these companies are spending on AI infrastructure and talent.
Reece recommends a $200 AI-generated sweatshirt and Marc recommends Marc Maron’s new standup special on HBO, Panicked.
