AI "tools have had large free usage allowances since ChatGPT launched in 2022. It was all a ploy by Big Tech and AI startups to get you hooked on their tools (which we didn't know we needed), so later they could drop the free allowances and push customers to pay for the services."
Google Gemini has introduced both "current" and weekly usage limits on free usage: "The [current] usage limit that refreshes every five hours is pretty tolerable because you do not need to wait that long for it to refresh. What will really affect users is the weekly cap. If you hit that on the third day of the week, that means you would have to sit there for another four days before you could get access."
https://www.neowin.net/editorials/the-era-of-unlimited-free-ai-is-dead-as-google-and-rivals-slam-the-door-shut/
https://www.androidsage.com/2026/05/19/geminis-new-usage-limits/
I'm glad I have no need for ChatGPT.
I only recently starting "playing" with Copilot in Edge, and so far, have been impressed with the quality of its responses [on complicated issues]. I'm not sure how often I may use it, but I'd hate to think that it'll balk when I actually need it. (At present, Copilot in Edge still offers unlimited help.)