OpenAI Could Reportedly Charge Up to $20,000 a Month for Expert-Level AI Agents

OpenAI is reportedly planning to release several artificial intelligence (AI) agents soon. As per the report, these AI agents will be specialised and have expertise in specific domains. Unlike most of the offerings by the company so far, these are said to not be part of its existing subscription tiers, and instead, the AI firm could offer them as standalone services. These AI agents are said to be able to do the work of an expert-level professional, and could fetch a significantly high price tag.

OpenAI Reportedly Planning to Launch Expensive AI Agents

The Information reported that the San Francisco-based AI firm is planning to launch as many as three different AI agents, which would be highly specialised in their knowledge domain. Citing people familiar with the matter, the publication claimed that these AI agents could come at a monthly subscription of up to $20,000 (roughly Rs. 17,40,800). The report did not mention when these AI agents could be released.

One of the AI agents is reportedly a “high-income knowledge worker.” This designation is generally used for humans who have deep knowledge in their domain, and their work involves critical thinking, strategic planning, and decision-making. Some examples include CXOs, management consultants, financial analysts, and more. The report claims that this AI agent could be priced at $2,000 (roughly Rs. 1.74 lakh) a month.

Another AI agent, currently under-development, is said to be a software developer that could cost $10,000 (roughly Rs. 8.7 lakh) a month. This AI agent is likely to be adept in coding, debugging, bug fixing, and code deployment. In comparison, Devin AI, which is also a software developer AI agent, is priced at $500 (roughly Rs. 45,500) per month. Notably, OpenAI already offers coding capabilities via its ChatGPT platform, although it cannot perform tasks autonomously, which is expected from AI agents.

However, as per the report, the pièce de résistance of the AI firm will be a “PhD-level research” agent, that will arrive with a price tag of $20,000 a month. Google also released its Gemini Deep Research feature, which is described as a “personal research assistant” and can autonomously research on topics and prepare comprehensive reports. It is available to Gemini Advanced subscribers who pay Rs. 1,950 a month. With such a significantly high subscription price, the AI agent might be able to perform highly complex tasks including ideation of a topic, research simulation, and deep analysis.

Looking at the prices, it is likely that these AI agents will be offered to enterprises and not end-consumers. The report highlighted that OpenAI's investor, SoftBank, has committed to spend $3 billion (roughly Rs. 26,112 crore) on the company's AI agent products in 2025.