Free AI doesn't exist. You just haven't paid “yet”.

A cheap taxi ride. A free map on your website. Software that always just worked. It felt normal. Until the bill arrived.

The same thing is now happening with AI.

AI is cheap because someone else is paying

AI companies are losing money. OpenAI is expected to lose $14 billion this year. CEO Sam Altman himself admitted he loses money on his most expensive subscription.

Investors cover that loss. Not out of generosity. They want you to get used to it. Then you have to pay.

This has happened before

Uber. For years a ride was cheaper than a taxi, because investors were chipping in. Then prices went up. According to one study, by 92% in three years.

Google Maps. Thousands of websites used the map for free. In 2018 the price went up. A transport company in New Zealand suddenly paid $30,000 a month instead of $1,000.

Always the same pattern: cheap, habit, lock-in, pay.

It's already starting with AI

Some AI services have already switched from a fixed price to pay-per-use. Analysts expect business AI to become another 30 to 50% more expensive.

Ask yourself these questions

1. 01
   What do we do if the price triples?
2. 02
   Could we switch to another vendor tomorrow?

How to avoid getting locked in

1. 01
   Don't pick one vendor for everything

   Where possible, use AI that works with multiple models.

2. 02
   Keep your own data

   Make sure your documents, instructions and templates live with you, not only in the AI service.

3. 03
   Agree prices for longer periods

   Set out in the contract how much the price may rise and how you can leave.

4. 04
   Keep the work itself in hand

   Make sure people still know how the process runs without AI.

5. 05
   Start small

   Deploy AI first where switching is easy.

The question isn't whether AI will get more expensive. The question is whether you'll still have a choice.

Which AI are you using “for free” right now? And what will you do if that stops tomorrow?