"Cheaper AI creates more demand"... OpenAI announces 1 billion users after price cuts

OpenAI said that shortly after sharply cutting prices for the GPT-5.6 line, its active users topped 1 billion and enterprise customers surpassed 2 million.

The company framed lower prices and better infrastructure efficiency as part of a flywheel: more usage drives more revenue, which then funds R&D and capital spending.

The move suggests cheaper AI can speed adoption by consumers and businesses and intensify market expansion and infrastructure investment.

It also shows OpenAI strengthening its edge not just through model quality, but through inference efficiency and lower operating costs.