Artificial intelligence is no longer a novelty. People use AI models like ChatGPT to draft emails, decide what they should make for dinner, or even ask for medical advice.
That increased usage makes it more costly for OpenAI to operate at scale. These changes are now shaping how the company thinks about costs, collaborations, and its long-term business strategy.
A Flexible Approach to Monetization
As AI is used across more industries and use cases, OpenAI is expanding its subscription-based revenue model. The company has already begun testing advertising on its new lower-priced subscription tier.
Beyond new subscription plans, OpenAI is prioritizing usage-based pricing, especially for customers in enterprise and production environments. Rather than relying on a fixed monthly fee, pricing reflects how frequently and intensively the technology is used.
These changes suggest that OpenAI is setting up infrastructure to enable AI’s rapid scale-up across many industries, including production. To support this increased adoption and changing user demands, the artificial intelligence company needs to remain flexible.
Computing Power Is a Bottleneck for AI Growth
Computing power has become a key tenet of OpenAI’s growth strategy. As customer adoption accelerates, the company’s ability to scale profitably increasingly depends on how much computing capacity it can support online.
According to CFO Sarah Friar, decisions about compute investment can’t be delayed because they can impact the future of AI capacity.
📁 Sarah Friar, CFO of OpenAI, says AI growth is measured in megawatts.
— Jon Hernandez (@JonhernandezIA) January 19, 2026
200 MW turned into 2 billion in revenue. 600 MW into 6 billion. 2 GW into more than 20 billion. The relationship is direct, more compute means more revenue.
The real constraint is time. Decisions made today… pic.twitter.com/KyFNbjYsOW
Instead of focusing solely on user numbers, OpenAI measures AI growth in terms of megawatts. While many technology brands emphasize measuring active users, ChatGPT executives observed that computing capacity drove tangible revenue gains. Hundreds of megawatts have translated to billions of dollars in revenue.
As AI demand continues to boom, infrastructure constraints have become the biggest ceiling for growth.
Changes to ChatGPT
Many of the changes Sarah Friar envisions for the business model are already noticeable when using ChatGPT. OpenAI offers several subscription plans based on usage levels and specific needs. Introducing advertising has also allowed the company to make ChatGPT more accessible to a larger audience while offsetting some costs.
Another important change to the ChatGPT pricing model is the introduction of commerce. The company is slowly moving users from search to engagement, most notably in shopping-related activities. ChatGPT has recently helped customers research products while shopping, and even allows users to shop with Instacart and check out.
There is some discussion about additional changes on the horizon. In high-impact areas like prescription drug discovery and financial modeling, the company is evaluating outcome-aligned pricing models. These could include royalty-based contracts and licensing agreements, but they are not currently being used.
Building AI Infrastructure for Profit
OpenAI’s evolving business model shows how quickly the AI landscape is changing. Artificial intelligence is not an independent tool that is being used in more aspects of our lives daily. As more people and businesses use ChatGPT, the company is continually reexamining pricing and partnerships.
These changes are especially important to brands that want to increase visibility and adapt to changing usage patterns. Understanding how ChatGPT pricing is changing can help businesses prepare for the future as demand for AI continues to surge.
Talk to our marketing experts at Avenue Z to discuss how you can build your business with OpenAI.
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