OpenAI Proposed Offering ChatGPT Plus for Free to All UK Citizens, with Potential Costs Up to £2 Billion
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Recently, The Guardian reported a striking proposal: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman discussed with UK Technology Secretary Peter Kyle the possibility of providing ChatGPT Plus subscriptions for free to the British public. The potential cost of this proposal could reach £2 billion (approximately ¥19.322 billion), but it ultimately did not materialize.
Image source note: The image is AI-generated, licensed by Midjourney.
According to sources familiar with the matter, this idea was proposed during a meeting in San Francisco, aiming to explore broader collaboration opportunities between OpenAI and the UK. Peter Kyle had dinner with Altman in March and April this year and signed a memorandum of understanding in July to explore the potential use of AI in UK public services. This non-legally binding memorandum could allow OpenAI access to certain government data and apply its software in fields such as education, defense, security, and justice.
Peter Kyle has been actively promoting the application of AI within the government. In March, he directly consulted ChatGPT on government-related questions, including why UK businesses have been slow to adopt AI and which podcasts he should appear on. An OpenAI spokesperson stated that millions of UK users already use ChatGPT for free daily and emphasized that their collaboration with the UK government aims to promote AI accessibility, ensuring more people can benefit from it.
Beyond its collaboration with the UK, OpenAI has recently engaged with governments in multiple countries. Notably, OpenAI reached an agreement with the UAE to deploy ChatGPT nationwide and promote its application in public sectors such as transportation, healthcare, and education. However, the development of generative AI has also sparked controversy, particularly regarding copyright issues. Some artists have criticized the government's plans to revise copyright laws, arguing that allowing AI companies to use copyrighted works without authorization would harm creators' rights.
In response, the UK AI Industry Association stated that the government's policymaking overly favors large tech companies while neglecting the interests of small and medium-sized enterprises. A UK government spokesperson replied that they are working with OpenAI and other leading AI companies to explore investment opportunities in the UK and rigorously test the safety of new technologies before their public release.
Key Points:
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman proposed offering ChatGPT Plus for free to all UK citizens, with potential costs up to £2 billion.
The proposal was part of OpenAI's broader collaboration with the UK government, involving AI applications in education, defense, and other fields.
️ The development of generative AI has raised copyright concerns, with artists expressing worries about the government's plans to revise copyright laws.