People's Daily Online recently offered its perspective on Doubao’s decision to introduce a paid subscription model for its AI assistant. This move signifies a transition for China’s domestic large language models, shifting from an era of "free usage" to one focused on "value realization." However, the question remains open as to whether charging for large-scale AI models is an essential direction for business models going forward.

The introduction of fees for large model services carries a certain inevitability. Offering services free of charge over the long term is unsustainable due to the substantial consumption of platform resources. Moreover, free access often encourages users to input spam information, which in turn pollutes the data and undermines the model’s integrity. For large models to develop healthily, a differentiated competitive approach is necessary—one that aligns with user needs and effectively transforms technological value into commercial success.

Paid services, therefore, should focus on enhancing quality, avoiding misunderstandings among users, and setting prices at a reasonable level. Any exploration of commercialization must strike a balance between technological innovation and ethical governance. The "free-for-all" model is not a viable or healthy business strategy in the long run. Looking ahead, it is likely that more large models will experiment with diverse commercialization strategies to cultivate "self-sustaining" capabilities and achieve sustainable innovation.