AI Free Era Nearing End as Big Model Companies Adapt to Rising Compute Cost

The era of “AI for free” seems to be coming to a close as big model companies are adjusting to the mounting compute costs. Dou Bao, the AI application with the highest monthly active users in China, quietly introduced subscription plans on app stores during the May Day holiday. The three tiers – Standard at $68 per month, Enhanced at $200, and Professional at $500 – mark a shift in the industry away from the ‘subsidized’ and ‘free’ market atmosphere. Dou Bao has been subsidizing aggressively for the past two years, rapidly expanding its user base to hundreds of millions…