I can’t tell you how much I hate subscriptions and the trend towards “everything as a service.” Unfortunately, even today’s AI features on smartphones are not immune to monthly fees. But there’s no way I’m paying for an AI subscription when I’m already paying for everything from YouTube Premium and big-name streaming services to Google One and gaming services.

The AI ​​subscription game is already in full swing in the smartphone space, with Google offering Gemini Advanced for a monthly fee. Meanwhile, Samsung has confirmed that its Galaxy AI features will be free until the end of 2025, when it is expected to introduce a subscription of some sort. Even Apple doesn’t seem to be safe from the AI ​​subscription trend, with Bloomberg suggested that Apple Intelligence could become a paid feature in three years. I’m not on board with that.

AI and subscriptions? An inextricable connection

With a few exceptions, I find that many highly touted AI features on phones are just boring and uninspired. Oh, look, another AI feature that falls into the category of summarization, image generation, or generative editing. I can certainly imagine that these features would be handy, but I don’t find most of these features useful or exciting enough to pay for a subscription. Your opinion may differ.

I have a hard time justifying $20 a month for Gemini Advanced, or even $10 a month for a hypothetical Galaxy AI Plus service when I wouldn’t use those AI features very often anyway. I can justify spending money on YouTube Premium and my Prime Video subscription because I actually use those services several hours a week. But I can’t stand spending even $10 a month on a fancy chatbot or editing tools that I might not use once a month. This all feels like a way to exploit customers and appease greedy investors who demand infinite growth.

Perhaps the only possible consolation with smartphone AI is that it seems unlikely that manufacturers will hide on-device AI features behind a paywall. After all, cloud-related costs are often cited as a reason for AI subscriptions, but local AI features don’t use the cloud. On the other hand, I wouldn’t be surprised to see some unscrupulous brands hide on-device AI features behind a paywall. We’ve also seen the Google Pixel 9 series offer 8K video recording as a cloud feature, as opposed to a local feature found on virtually every other flagship phone. Maybe I’m just cynical, but who’s to say Google wouldn’t put 8K video, or better low-light video, behind an AI subscription or similar plan in the future?

That’s not to say I think generative AI is worthless. Features like call summaries, Audio Magic Eraser, and call screening are very cool and handy. But those killer apps seem to be few and far between. Combined with my aversion to subscriptions, I can’t be convinced to pay for Galaxy AI, Apple Intelligence, or Gemini Advanced every month. What about you?