AI is still in its “build at all costs” phase, but the pressure to turn a profit is growing fast. With reports suggesting OpenAI could burn through billions in 2026, the question becomes clear: how does AI actually make money? We dig into subscriptions, potential future monetization models, and the looming threats of regulation, copyright, and data access.
Right now AI is in it’s “build like crazy” stage and not it’s “min/max profit” stage. But there will come a day where profits are needed to sustain and grow the business. Investors want more than just their money back - but monetizing AI hasn’t been solved yet. Some reports even say that OpenAI could rip through $14 billion dollars in 2026 (Source). Right now we know of access fees (subscription plans for people to use AI),
