The Era of AI Commercialization and Monetization Has Quietly Arrived
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In the initial phase of the artificial intelligence (AI) technological revolution, OpenAI's chatbot ChatGPT amazed the world, reaching 100 million monthly active users in just two months, making it the fastest-growing consumer application in history. ChatGPT not only has broad applications across numerous industries but has also successfully popularized technical terms like generative AI (AIGC), large language models, and emergence among the general public. Today, the AI technological revolution has quietly progressed to its next stage—the era of AI monetization.
On September 21 local time, U.S. tech giant Microsoft held its fall event in New York, where the highlight was the launch of the new Copilot platform—another clear example of AI product commercialization. Microsoft Copilot is positioned as an 'everyday AI companion,' integrating AI into users' most frequently used Microsoft products to create a unified experience while prioritizing personal privacy and data security. With Copilot, Windows 11 will become the starting point for users to experience the powerful capabilities of AI.
In addition to the consumer version of Copilot, Microsoft also announced that its Microsoft 365 Copilot for enterprises will be fully available starting November 1. AI will be embedded into collaborative tools like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams to help users improve productivity. Notably, enterprise users who wish to access these AI features will need to pay an additional $30 per employee per month on top of their Microsoft 365 subscription fees.
Currently, many companies have transitioned their generative AI products and services from free to paid models, accelerating optimization and even upgrades for subscription-based offerings. For example, on August 29, OpenAI launched its 'flagship' version—ChatGPT Enterprise—which provides enterprise-grade security and privacy, unlimited high-speed GPT-4 access, and longer context windows, among other features. The release of ChatGPT Enterprise has effectively set the trend for monetizing large language models. In early September, Anthropic, a company founded by former OpenAI members, officially launched the paid version of its Claude chatbot—Claude 2 Pro—in the U.K. and U.S., with a monthly subscription fee of $20. Subscribers gain benefits such as priority responses, early access to new features, and the ability to send more messages. Subsequently, on September 14, image processing company Adobe announced the commercial release of its generative AI product 'Firefly,' enabling users to quickly generate ideas and content for any project, all of which can be used for commercial purposes.
More and more AI products and services are moving toward commercialization. As for which company will emerge as the ultimate winner in the monetization of large language model products, it remains uncertain. This will depend on various factors, including the technical quality of the company and its products, market position, innovation capabilities, business strategies, and user needs. At the same time, evolving user and market demands may also reshape the competitive landscape.