OpenAI Reveals $200/Month ChatGPT Pro, New Partners And Future Hopes

Most of us laughed when Deadpool said “I made an educated wish” in the 2024-released Deadpool & Wolverine movie.

Essentially, the dialogue plays on the phrases “educated guess” and “wishful thinking”, where the emphasis is on Deadpool AKA Wade Wilson knowing his goal was most likely not going to be met but he wished it would work out. #NoSpoilers

This is sort of similar to what transpired in a recent interview with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, conducted by journalist Andrew Ross Sorkin at the New York Times’ Dealbook Summit.

Altman was thrown a question by Sorkin, “Do you have any faith that the government, or somebody, is going to figure out how to avoid” the existential threats posed by “superintelligent” AI systems?”

To this, Altman replied, “I have faith that researchers will figure out to avoid that. I think there’s a set of technical problems that the smartest people in the world are going to work on. And, you know, I’m a little bit too optimistic by nature, but I assume that they’re going to figure that out.”

He further mentioned that AI could eventually become smart enough to correct itself.

Interestingly, OpenAI has faced trouble with its AI safety teams, not once but twice.

It all began with the departures of Jan Leike and Ilya Sutskever, the co-leads of OpenAI’s Superalignment endeavor, which dealt with AI safety and ensuring its artificial intelligence (AI) technology didn’t go rogue. Both left citing bad safety cultures. While Leike joined rival Anthropic, Sutskever created his own company to continue developing safe AI (his new company is called Safe Superintelligence Inc.) and even raised $1 billion.


Since then, the AI company has seen numerous executives leaving for similar reasons, which included an internal committee being formed with CEO Altman that also disbanded. The latest quit came on December 1, when Rosie Campbell left citing safety concerns surrounding human-level AI.

At one point, some workers even said OpenAI rushed tests and failed to make AI safe.

Suffice it to say, OpenAI has not had a good year when it comes to AI safety.

On the other hand, the company has been powering forward with more capable generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) models, entering new industries and forging new partnerships, while also planning to transform from a non-profit to a for-profit, despite key departures.

All of this was met with the mammothian news that OpenAI raised $6.6 billion in funding at a $157 billion valuation amid reports of $5 billion losses.

Of course, you can’t remain a leader if you don’t keep moving forward, and OpenAI has been doing just that.

ChatGPT Pro

On December 5, 2024, OpenAI launched a new product—ChatGPT Pro—a new subscription plan that gives users unlimited access to its most advanced models, including OpenAI o1, o1-mini, GPT-4o, and advanced voice features, with more capabilities soon.

It also consists of o1 pro mode, a model that “uses more compute to think harder and provide even better answers to the hardest problems.”

The price? $200 per month. #ForProfit

However, the company will also award 10 grants of ChatGPT Pro to medical researchers in the US, with at least 4 shortlisted names.

“ChatGPT Pro provides a way for researchers, engineers, and other individuals who use research-grade intelligence daily to accelerate their productivity and be at the cutting edge of advancements in AI,” reads an excerpt from the news release.

OpenAI and Future

A day before the ChatGPT Pro reveal, OpenAI announced a new partnership with Future, the global platform for specialist media, which will bring content from Future’s 200–plus media brands to OpenAI’s users, enhancing their experience.

Future distributes specialist content across websites, newsletters, videos, magazines, and live events, and spans brands such as Marie Claire, PC Gamer, TechRadar, Tom’s Guide, Tom’s Hardware, The Week, Who What Wear, and Cycling Weekly.

This also adds to Future’s existing deployment of OpenAI technology, with Futures CEO Jon Steinberg, saying, “Future is proud to be at the forefront of deploying AI, both in building new ways for users to engage with our content but also to support our staff and enhance their productivity.”

“Our goal is to help publishers and content creators both benefit from advanced AI technology and expand their reach,” said Brad Lightcap, COO of OpenAI.

OpenAI And Anduril

Through a news release published on its website, Anduril Industries announced that it has signed a strategic partnership with OpenAI.

The idea is to develop and responsibly deploy advanced AI solutions for national security missions and improve the United States’ defense systems, including its counter-unmanned aircraft systems (CUAS), that thwart attacks by unmanned drones and other aerial devices.

The move will include exploring how AI models can be used to rapidly synthesize time-sensitive data, reduce the burden on human operators, and improve situational awareness.

Brian Schimpf, co-founder & CEO of Anduril Industries, said, “Our partnership with OpenAI will allow us to utilize their world-class expertise in artificial intelligence to address urgent Air Defense capability gaps across the world.”

“Our partnership with Anduril will help ensure OpenAI technology protects U.S. military personnel, and will help the national security community understand and responsibly use this technology to keep our citizens safe and free,” said OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

What do you think about its new partnerships? Do you think OpenAI should take AI safety measures more seriously?

Let us know in the comments below!