Using artificial intelligence is slowly getting expensive and more companies are beginning to question their embrace of the disruptive technology.
Playing by a well-worn Silicon Valley playbook, AI companies charged rock-bottom prices to hook customers after ChatGPT burst onto the scene.
Kevin Simback of startup incubator Delphi Labs calls it the era of "subsidized intelligence" – meaning investors were basically footing the bill so companies could offer AI on the cheap.
"But the tides are beginning to turn," Simback warned, and an era where the big AI companies actually need to make money has begun – with leaders OpenAI and Anthropic looking to go public and attract Mainstreet investors later this year.
Prices are rising across the board, and one big reason is AI agents.
