UK discusses free nationwide ChatGPT Plus plan; no policy yet

OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman and the United Kingdom’s technology secretary, Peter Kyle, discussed a plan that would extend premium access to ChatGPT to every resident in Britain at no cost to individuals, a multibillion-pound proposition that highlighted both the government’s enthusiasm for artificial intelligence and the financial and logistical challenges such a move would entail. The talks occurred during Kyle’s visit to San Francisco and were described as part of broader discussions about OpenAI’s potential role in the UK’s digital and public-service strategy. While there was initial optimism about collaboration, the idea did not solidify into a formal policy, with insiders noting that the bill could run into the billions of pounds and that the government was unlikely to endorse such an arrangement.

The discussions sit alongside a continuing push by the government to harness AI for public services. In July, Kyle signed a nonbinding memorandum of understanding with OpenAI aimed at exploring how the company’s technology could be used in UK public sectors, including education, defense, security, and justice, while potentially granting OpenAI access to government data for...