OpenAI begins pilot testing ChatGPT Professional, a premium version of its chatbot

OpenAI said this week that it will soon start charging for ChatGPT, its viral AI chatbot that can write essays, emails, poetry and even computer code. In an announcement on the company's official Discord server, OpenAI said it was "starting to think about how to monetize ChatGPT" as one way to "ensure the long-term viability of the tool."

The monetized version of ChatGPT will be called ChatGPT Professional. This comes from a waitlist link that OpenAI posted on the Discord server, which asks a series of questions about payment preferences, including "At what price (per month) do you think ChatGPT is so expensive that you wouldn't buy it?"

The waitlist also describes the benefits of ChatGPT Professional, which include no blackout, no throttling, and unlimited messages with ChatGPT - "at least 2x the normal daily limit." OpenAI says those who fill out a waitlist form may be selected to pilot ChatGPT Professional, but the program is in an experimental stage and will not be widely available "at this time."

As of early December, ChatGPT had over a million users—an enviable user base by any standards. But its maintenance is not cheap. According to OpenAI co-founder and CEO Sam Altman, ChatGPT's operating costs are "staggering," amounting to a few cents per chat. ChatGPT is hosted in Microsoft's Azure cloud.

How do I sign up for the ChatGPT Professional waitlist?

To get on the ChatGPT PRO waiting list you need to fill out the form at the link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfCVqahRmA5OxQXbRlnSm531fTd8QBdUCwZag7mI9mrlOOIaw/viewform