Paid model will help subsidies-free version ChatGPT is fastest-growing consumer application in history LONDON: ChatGPT parent company OpenAI announced on Wednesday it is launching a pilot subscription plan for its popular AI-powered chatbot, called ChatGPT Plus, for $20 per month. As part of the premium plan, subscribers will receive access to ChatGPT even during peak times, faster responses, and priority access to new features and improvements. The company said that the pilot version will initially be rolled out to a limited number of users on the waiting list but said it is planning to make the service available to the wider public in the near future. The new subscription-based model will help to support the free version, the company said in a blog post. Experts estimate that the AI-powered chatbot, which is capable of generating human-like text and interaction-style conversations, costs OpenAI at least $100,000 per day or $3 million per month to run. Since its launch in early December, ChatGPT has become a global phenomenon, attracting the attention of millions of users seeking to experiment with the technology. On Wednesday, a UBS study reported that the service reached an estimated 100 million monthly active users in January, making it the fastest-growing consumer application in history. Besides the enthusiasm, the tool has also raised concerns and dilemmas including ethical challenges, copyright ownership, underlying prejudice and the question of authenticity. In particular, ChatGPT has also raised questions about the facilitation of academic dishonesty and misinformation, prompting universities around the world to forbid students from using the tool to complete assignments and exams. To address the issue, OpenAI released on Tuesday an “imperfect” tool designed to detect when written works are authored by artificial intelligence.