Using AI cost $1000. Now it costs $1. What's your excuse?

TL;DR

• The cost of generating an AI response has dropped 1000x in two years
• What was only for big companies is now accessible to anyone
• If you’re not using AI at work, it’s not about money
• It’s fear, ignorance, or laziness

---

In 2023, using GPT-4 for a serious project cost hundreds of dollars per month.

In 2025, you can do the same for cents.

The cost of generating an AI response has dropped 1000 times in two years.

Read that again: a thousand times cheaper.

What this means

Two years ago, only companies with budgets could experiment with AI at scale.

Today:

• A freelancer can use Claude or GPT for $20/month
• APIs cost fractions of a cent per query
• Free models exist that would have been best-in-class 2 years ago

The “it’s too expensive” argument no longer exists.

Today’s models

Current leading models (Claude Sonnet, Gemini Flash, Grok, DeepSeek) don’t compete on being the biggest.

They compete on:

• Speed: responses in milliseconds
• Efficiency: fewer resources for the same result
• Reasoning: solving complex problems, not just generating text

Size matters less. Efficiency matters more.

It’s like cars: they used to brag about engine size. Now they brag about fuel economy and performance.

The real barrier

If the barrier isn’t price anymore, what is it?

1. Fear “What if I mess up?” “What if the AI does something wrong?” “What if it takes my job?”

Fear paralyzes. While you’re afraid, others are learning.

2. Ignorance “I don’t know where to start.” “It’s too technical.” “It’s not for me.”

30 years ago they said the same about the internet. 15 years ago, about smartphones. There’s always a learning curve. It’s always worth it.

3. Laziness “I’ll do it later.” “I’m fine for now.” “I don’t have time.”

This is the most honest one. Learning something new takes effort. But today’s effort is tomorrow’s advantage.

The window is closing

In 2023, using AI gave you an edge because almost nobody did.

In 2025, using AI keeps you at par because many already do.

In 2027, not using AI will leave you behind because everyone will.

The window to accumulate advantage is closing.

I’m not saying it’s too late. I’m saying every month that passes, there’s less differential to gain.

What to do

1. Pick a tool and pay for it. The free version is fine to try. For real work, pay the $20/month.

2. Use it every day. Not “when I have time.” Every day. Even for a small task.

3. Learn why it works, not just that it works. Understanding tokens, context, prompts… sets you apart from those who just copy and paste.

4. Measure the time you save. When you see a 2-hour task done in 20 minutes, you won’t go back.

The question

Costs dropped 1000x.

Models are better than ever.

Tools are easier than ever.

What’s your excuse?