Rising computing and energy costs threaten free ChatGPT in India
Technology
India's obsession with free ChatGPT is running into a wall: the tech behind it is getting expensive to keep up.
Even though India leads in user numbers, rising energy and computing costs mean companies can't afford to give everything away for free anymore.
But convincing price-sensitive Indian users to pay for AI tools isn't easy: most still aren't sure what they'd be paying for.
Freemium model leaves Indian companies paying
Most AI apps here run on a freemium model: basic stuff is free, but advanced features cost extra.
The catch? Hardly anyone pays, so companies are stuck footing big bills while most users ride along for free.
With local AI infrastructure lagging and much of the digital backbone publicly funded, making paid AI work in India is proving to be a real challenge.