‘Can we work out a deal where you pay ME and I get no AI at all?’ Meta wants you to pay for more AI — one brutal response suggests people might rather pay to make it go away

Meta has unveiled a new proposition for its users, Meta One, which offers additional features and expanded access to some of the company's most compute-intensive AI tools. The service comes in two tiers: Core at $7.99 a month and Premium at $19.99. The Core tier allows users to generate more images and videos, use Instagram's AI Restyle tools frequently, and enjoy a larger serving of Meta AI, while the Premium tier provides even more tokens and access to even more advanced AI features.

However, Meta One's proposition has sparked debates, with some users, including horror author Joe Hill, suggesting that they would prefer to pay Meta to remove AI entirely rather than pay for more of it. This sentiment is not surprising, given that some people may want more AI and are willing to pay for it, but others would like a clearly labeled switch to make AI disappear.

There is an important distinction between choosing AI and receiving AI, with users showing a clear understanding of the distinction. Recent studies indicate that many consumers are uncomfortable with AI's presence in their lives and would prefer to have more control over its use. While AI can be genuinely useful, there is a growing resistance to losing the ability to decide when it enters the room.

Tech companies have previously introduced ad-free subscriptions, recognizing that the absence of advertising is valuable enough to sell. Meta already offers ad-free subscriptions on Facebook and Instagram in the UK and Europe, but not in the US or Australia. An AI-light subscription on Meta could remove generated content from recommendations, hide AI assistants and shortcuts, and otherwise keep AI tools away unless deliberately summoned.

This new proposition could be a game-changer, allowing users to have control over their AI experience.