Generative AI is really expensive hardware-wise, with high marginal costs. For now, a limited quantity usage is sponsored by the companies as PR to increase adoption, but in the long run for practical applications it won't be (can't be!) neither free nor cheap. Current models are intriguing but still need improvements, we know how to get those improvements by larger models, but all that means that the next iteration(s) will cost more money per 'answer'.