--- title: "A Dumb Reality of ChatGPT Could Spell Big Trouble for OpenAI" description: "AI chatbots like ChatGPT are extremely expensive and could turn them into a major headache for tech companies in the long run." date: "2023-06-05" modified: "2023-06-05" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/reality-chatgpt-openai-expensive" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" - "OpenAI" tags: - "ai chatbots" - "chatgpt" - "OpenAI" - "the digest" --- # A Dumb Reality of ChatGPT Could Spell Big Trouble for OpenAI ![AI chatbots like ChatGPT are extremely expensive and could turn them into a major headache for tech companies in the long run.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## Pay to AI The AI chatbot wars are well underway, with OpenAI and various would-be competitors — both [large]() and [small]() — vying for the number one spot in the industry. There's an incredible amount of hype surrounding the tech these days, and the investments keep pouring in. But as they currently stand, chatbots have an Achilles heel that could turn them into a major headache in the long run, as [*The Washington Post* reports](): they cost a huge amount of money to run. Every time a user asks these chatbots something, it costs the companies running them money. In plain English, they're extremely expensive to run, with no clear revenue model in sight. In other words, the future of generative AI is uncertain as ever as companies are competing in a race to keep soaring costs down while attracting new users — who in turn cost even more to service. ## Chips Ahoy Even with subscription-based models like OpenAI's $20-dollars-per-month ChatGPT Pro plan, users are limited to just 25 messages every three hours, highlighting just how computing-intensive the process is. It's a reality AI companies are painfully aware of, especially as supplies of much-needed computer chips — graphics processing units (GPUs) in particular — dwindle. "We try to design systems that do not maximize for engagement," OpenAI CEO Sam Altman [told members]() of Congress during a Senate hearing last month. "In fact, we’re so short on GPUs, the less people use our products, the better." "GPUs at this point are considerably harder to get than drugs," Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who's [planning]() his own anti-"woke" AI startup, [said at a *Wall Street Journal* summit]() last month. As costs soar, even some of the largest players in the tech world like Google are choosing to scale their operations down by focusing on large language models that are much smaller than others currently available, according to *WaPo*. Where that leaves the future of the market remains to be seen. "Eventually you come to the end of the hype curve, and the only thing your investors are going to look at, at that point, is your bottom line," Tom Goldstein, a computer science professor at the University of Maryland, told the *WaPo*. Nonetheless, companies will likely keep trying. "Even though it's expensive," Goldstein added, "it’s still far less expensive than human labor." **More on AI chatbots:** *[OpenAI Competitor Says Its Chatbot Has a Rudimentary Conscience]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()