The Open Source Illusion: Why "Free" AI Models Are Getting Expensive
The article discusses the rising costs associated with open-source AI models, particularly highlighting the recent price hike of the GLM 5.1 model. While the models are marketed as free alternatives, the expenses for running them at scale can be significant. This shift in pricing dynamics raises questions about the true cost of using open-source AI technologies.
- ▪The subscription price for the GLM 5.1 model has doubled to $160 per month.
- ▪Running large models like GLM-5 requires substantial hardware resources, costing $5-15 per hour on cloud GPU instances.
- ▪Despite the open weights being free, reliable hosting and premium features come at a cost.
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try { if(localStorage) { let currentUser = localStorage.getItem('current_user'); if (currentUser) { currentUser = JSON.parse(currentUser); if (currentUser.id === 3957324) { document.getElementById('article-show-container').classList.add('current-user-is-article-author'); } } } } catch (e) { console.error(e); } Ai developer Posted on May 30 The Open Source Illusion: Why "Free" AI Models Are Getting Expensive #ai #llm #career #machinelearning The Open Source Illusion: Why "Free" AI Models Are Getting Expensive Everyone's watching Chinese open-source models. But the subscription costs are catching up to Western counterparts. The Z.ai Price Hike GLM 5.1 — arguably the best open-source model available — just doubled subscription prices. Maximum tier now costs $160/month.
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