Apple's Paid AI Features Plan in the Works, Set to Launch in 2027

Reports have surfaced suggesting that Apple is preparing to launch a premium version of Apple Intelligence, which will be available on a subscription basis. For $20 a month, subscribers can enjoy a variety of advanced features.

The introduction of a paid plan by Apple seems inevitable, as it's unlikely that Apple would offer AI features for free indefinitely. According to the latest news from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple is currently in the preparation phase.

Gurman states that Apple is in the early testing stages of Apple Intelligence, and the related paid plans could take at least three years to develop, indicating a possible launch of Plus or Premium versions by 2027.

Existing AI features will continue to be available for free, meaning Apple's charging plan will apply to new features introduced later. The initial free features serve as a way to attract users, who would then need to subscribe to access newly launched advanced features.

At the WWDC 2024 developers' conference, Apple also revealed that users could interact directly with ChatGPT without Apple paying any fees to OpenAI. Instead, users wanting to access ChatGPT's advanced features would need to subscribe to ChatGPT Plus.

For OpenAI and other AI developers, being integrated into iOS, iPadOS, and macOS allows them to reach more users and attract subscription payments, which is why Apple does not pay OpenAI.

Apple Intelligence is currently being tested in the United States and other markets, with users who have installed the iOS 18 Beta being able to experience it. Furthermore, Apple plans to upgrade the Siri assistant, which will be powered by AI models to support image generation, content editing, and writing.