Creating an itinerary for a vacation. Planning a workout regime to optimise gains. Generating content ideas for an Instagram-famous dog named Meatball Ravioli.

There’s no limit these days to the uses of artificial intelligence. The technology promises to do everything faster, smarter and better than humans. But far from the excitement on Wall Street or Silicon Valley, everyday people are embracing AI, hoping to make themselves faster, smarter and better.

It’s been a little more than two years since OpenAI released its chatbot, ChatGPT, which opened a public gateway to AI. Before then, the idea of artificial intelligence felt technical and abstract, reserved for engineers and scientists. Now anyone from stay-at-home moms to financial analysts are using a flood of apps to research, solve problems or even supercharge their work. In fact, more than 35% of Americans report using some kind of AI-enabled product at least once a week, according to a recent Gallup poll. Many are willing to pay, too.

ChatGPT has a free version of its AI chatbot, but users can pay up to US$200 (R3 600)/month for unlimited access to its more advanced models. Paid versions of apps like AI image generator Midjourney and the design app Canva are also growing in popularity, each costing about $10/month. And for power users, this can mean paying multiple bills, akin to streaming platforms for TV shows. But to them, the cost is worth what feels like extra brain power.

“People are willing to spend money on this kind of stuff,” said Vasant Dhar, a professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business. “It makes life easier and better and the applications are all across the board, from virtual companions to investing advice.”

Jessica Valvo in New Jersey has been using ChatGPT and a few other apps to get ideas for filming videos with her French bulldog. With 19 000 followers on Instagram, her dog named Meatball Ravioli is known for wearing costumes like an American flag on 4 July (US Indepedence Day) or a mini sombrero while she cooks Mexican food.

Personal assistant

She hopes by acting on AI-generated ideas and following its advice for engaging an audience, she might be able to monetise her platform. And more and more she finds herself turning to AI for tips on running her household, like making dog treats to save money or prolonging the life of a rug by putting ice cubes on edges that have rolled up.

“I use it anytime I have a question,” she said. “I’ll just say, ‘Give me ideas to wash my windows,’ and it will come up with ideas.”

For some, AI can even function as a personal assistant or consultant. Will Francis, who works as a content creator and educator in the Peak District in England, spends the equivalent of about R1 500/month on AI apps outside of ChatGPT. He’ll use them to draft e-mails, transcribe recordings, create and analyse spreadsheets, and even make PowerPoint slides.

Read: DeepSeek is just one player in China’s booming AI industry

“I’d say I get a part-time assistant’s worth of time, maybe two days a week, out of AI tools in total,” he said.

The 45 year old, who’s trying out the $200 version of ChatGPT, says it works best as a “co-thinker” for analysis and spotting patterns. But that it can also offer a kind of thoughtful engagement he doesn’t often get elsewhere. Lately, Francis has been using ChatGPT as a career coach.

“I will tell it what I want to achieve; it remembers that,” said Francis. “There’s something really magic when it says that back to you. It’s like, God, you remembered. Like, no one talks to me like that in my real life.”

Whether it’s writing captions for photos or generating images from text prompts, AI’s varied uses make it easy for users to justify a subscription.

Duncan Rogoff, a 35-year-old who works in motion graphics in San Francisco in the US, says he pays about $50/month for Midjourney, Anthropic’s AI assistant Claude and ChatGPT’s Plus tier.

“It adds up over the course of the year, but I think it’s definitely worth it,” he said. “It gives me lots of ideas, and it lets me explore and play around and be creative.”

Meanwhile, Shane Larson in Anchorage, Alaska said he thinks the AI he pays for is helping him develop skills that will give him a leg up at work. He spends about $300/month on AI apps and uses them on tasks ranging from the commonplace, like meal planning, to the somewhat controversial: writing books he then lists on Amazon.

“Some people would say, ‘That’s a car payment’ or ‘You could be investing that’ and that’s true,” he said. “But with the amount of learning and experience I gain from using these tools, it gives me an edge that I think is worth it in the long run.” — Claire Ballentine and Francesca Maglione, (c) 2025 Bloomberg LP

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