Get ’em hooked, and then nudge them onto a payment plan. That’s been the business model of salespeople for generations, from the pigs-in-a-blanket handed out as samples at BJ’s to free Gillette razors.
It’s not limited to tangible goods, either. Big Tech has been doing it with generative AI, from DALL-E to ChatGPT to Google Gemini. And so many people have been taking up the free tiers of OpenAI and Google’s Sora, Gemini, and Nano Banana Pro that the two companies have quietly reduced access for non-paying users.
we’re setting usage limits for free users to 6 gens/day. chatgpt plus and pro users have unchanged limits, and everybody can purchase additional gens as needed. our gpus are melting, and we want to let as many people access sora as possible!
— Bill Peebles (@billpeeb) November 28, 2025
lowered access: What It Means
OpenAI owns Sora, and Google owns Gemini and Nano Banana Pro. And I know what most of you are about to ask: “What the heck is Nano Banana Pro?” It’s Google’s AI image generator and photo editor.
All have been enough of a hit for their respective companies that, ostensibly, to keep up with the demands, they’ve reduced how much their non-paying users can access them per day. Reduced access doesn’t mean they’ve eliminated access for free users.
Sora’s free users can now generate only six videos per day, after which they’ll be prompted to either pony up some cash or wait until their limit resets the following day. Many users reported that, before this week’s change, they could generate about 30 free videos each day without paying.
Google has been quieter than OpenAI about its changes to Gemini and Nano Banana Pro. They deleted their statement that free users could expect five prompts on Gemini Pro per day and restricted Nano Banana Pro users to two free prompts per day.
None of this should be all that surprising, although it doesn’t make it any less unpleasant. From three years ago, when AI was unleashed broadly upon the population, and when it was more of a curiosity and digital parlor trick, it’s strange to think that “AI subscription” may become a regular line item in our monthly bills in the same way as electricity, groceries, and TV streaming.
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