OpenAI’s paid users across its business segment, including ChatGPT Enterprise, Team, and Edu, grew nearly 67% since April to cross one million on Sept. 5. The San Francisco-based artificial intelligence firm’s chatbot continues to thrive due to its advanced language model.
According to a Reuters report, OpenAI’s business products have grown, reaching one million users, up from 600,000 in April.
OpenAI is reportedly planning to introduce higher-priced subscription plans for its upcoming large language models, such as the Strawberry and Orion AI models. The creator of ChatGPT is considering subscription plans that could cost up to $2,000 per month.
The news comes nearly a month after xAI launched the Grok-2 AI assistant, available for X users with Premium or Premium+ memberships. Despite being a relatively new AI venture launched in July 2023, xAI could become an OpenAI competitor by the end of 2024, said Elon Musk during Viva Tech Paris 2024.
OpenAI’s valuation could touch $100 billion
The announcement comes at a time when Apple and US chipmaker Nvidia are reportedly interested in investing in OpenAI’s upcoming funding round, which could value the AI company at over $100 billion. Microsoft is also participating in the funding round and holds a 49% stake in OpenAI, having invested $13 billion since 2019.
On Aug. 29, OpenAI announced that ChatGPT’s weekly active users have doubled over the past year, surpassing 200 million. Despite this growth, the company’s revenue is still below expectations, with annualized sales of around $3.4 billion as of May 2024.
Cointelegraph has approached OpenAI for comment.
AI regulation for safety testing
OpenAI has voiced support for California’s AB 3211 AI bill which would require watermarks in the metadata of AI-generated photos, videos and audio clips. However, the company opposed another AI-related bill, SB 1047.
Source: OpenAI
On Feb. 7, SB 1047 was introduced to mandate AI developers conduct safety testing on some of their own models. SB 1047 was proposed by California State Senator Scott Wiener and co-authored by senators Richard Roth, Susan Rubio and Henry Stern.
On Sept. 5, the United States, the European Union, and the United Kingdom signed the Framework Convention on AI. The treaty emphasizes the importance of human rights and democratic values in regulating both public and private-sector AI models.
This is the first legally binding international treaty on AI, holding signatories accountable for any harm or discrimination caused by AI systems.
However, if violations occur, the implementation of consequential measures, such as a penalty, is yet to be established.
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