“It’s more that the casino is open, drinks are flowing, people are gambling wildly, and the staff is getting tipped well,” he adds. “We, the customers, are the staff raking in tips. Whether the gamblers win or lose, the valet gets to keep the $100 he got for parking the Lambo out front, and we get to use free ChatGPT accounts.”
New pricing models
Other observers see AI vendors’ customers footing a large portion of the bill. CIOs are likely to face higher subscription fees, usage-based pricing, or premium charges for advanced features, says Firdaus Bhathena, CTO at fintech firm FIS.
“The costs of building out AI infrastructure will ultimately fall to enterprise users, and for CIOs, it’s only a question of when,” he says. “While hyperscalers and AI vendors are currently shouldering much of the expense to drive adoption, we expect to see pricing models evolve.”
