The Reality of Making Money with Building GPTs — Why You Shouldn’t Quit Your Day Job Yet
Here is Why You Shouldn’t Quit Your Day Job to Build GPTs. Hear me out…
The recent launch of OpenAI’s GPT Store sparked excitement about the potential to make money by creating your own custom GPT models. However, while payouts are enticing in theory, the reality of actually generating profits this way is unlikely for most independent developers.
How GPT Monetization Will Work
As explained in their GPT store announcement, OpenAI intends to roll out a revenue sharing model in Q1 of 2024 based on engagement. Essentially, GPT builders will receive payouts for the usage of their publicly listed GPTs based on the number of people interacting with them.
This means in contrast to app store models, there are no set prices or commissions per download (or in this case per usage). Instead, only the most popular GPTs that drive significant traffic earn revenue, likely from OpenAI’s subscription fees.
They explicitly state the model does not allow builders to directly charge for GPT access or content. The platform owner handles all billing.
The Reality — Actually Profiting Will Be Rare
Because of how the payout structure works, most custom GPTs will never make anywhere near a lucrative income. Building a unique, viral bot that stands out from the growing sea of competitors is enormously difficult.
Even helpful and well-executed GTPs often fail to gain traction across OpenAI’s broad user base. Unless an offering ticks all boxes in terms of novelty, quality, and effective promotion, the earnings potential remains low.
Those without access to proprietary data or willing to invest heavily in marketing are especially unlikely to see major payouts from the upcoming revenue share program.
The Solution? Alternate Monetization Opportunities
However, the GPT store still presents alternate branding and lead generation upsides. Public models allow linking a name, site URL, and description.
Directing users to an external business domain can drive traffic to your personal or business website. But for most indie developers without an established commercial product, even that visibility might offer limited benefits.
Key Takeaways
While participating in OpenAI’s platform provides excellent experience working with leading AI models, counting on direct profit any time soon is ill-advised for most.
Creating viral, successful GTPs competitive with large tech brands demands immense dedication across skill sets from computer science to graphic design and copywriting.
Before jumping in expecting riches, seriously consider, if opportunities exist to uniquely stand out while delivering true user value. If not, manage expectations accordingly in terms of income.
Focus instead on honing abilities with state-of-the-art technology, networking, showcasing talents, and exploring openings the future commercialization of AI abilities might one day present.
Hope you like my short opinion on it, I am always open to new thoughts and opinions, be sure to share your thoughts on the potential of generating income from the upcoming GPT builder revenue program.
If you want to read my full in-depth article about the GPT store, do so by visiting our website AIFocussed. Go Check it out, I won’t let you down. I promise 😉
