AI should be affordable for basic use cases, but not necessarily fully free at scale.

From a practical standpoint, basic access to AI helps democratize knowledge, learning, and productivity. It enables students, developers, freelancers, and small businesses to use powerful tools that were previously accessible only to large enterprises. This kind of accessibility is important for innovation and skill development.

However, AI systems are not zero-cost services. They require significant infrastructure, compute power, model training, and continuous maintenance. If everything were completely free, it would not be sustainable for long-term development or quality improvement.

A balanced approach makes more sense:

• Free or low-cost access for basic usage and learning

• Paid tiers for heavy usage, advanced models, and enterprise needs

This ensures both accessibility and sustainability. The goal should not be “free AI for all,” but “fair access to AI for everyone.”