‘AI will be sold like electricity and water by OpenAI’: Sam Altman explains how you’ll pay by usage, not subscription

The field of artificial intelligence is evolving towards a system in which it is considered a basic service rather than a product. At the BlackRock Infrastructure Summit in Washington, DC, on 11 March 2026, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman outlined a model in which AI can be delivered “on demand” and billed according to usage.

In essence, this model considers AI to be similar to electricity and water in that users are charged based on consumption. This is a new way in which digital service structures are evolving, particularly in a world in which more computing power is constantly in demand.