By David Stephen
There is a recent [June 26, 2025] report by Menlo Ventures, 2025: The State of Consumer AI, stating that, “More than half of American adults (61%) have used AI in the past six months, and nearly one in five rely on it every day. Scaled globally, that translates to 1.7–1.8 billion people who have used AI tools, with 500–600 million engaging daily. This is no longer experimentation; it’s habit formation at an unprecedented scale. When we do the math, 1.8 billion users at an average monthly subscription cost of $20 per month equals $432 billion a year; $12 billion market indicates that only about 3% pay for premium services—a strikingly low conversion rate and one of the largest and fastest-emerging monetization gaps in recent consumer tech history. Even ChatGPT, with its first-mover advantage, only converts about 5% of its weekly active users into paying subscribers. This gap between usage and payment represents a major opportunity.”
The loss problem for consumer AI companies is simply not for the lack of need but for the absence of — products and services — branching. What are people already paying for that they would be willing to pay extra for, given valuable AI features?
What are people not paying for that they would be willing to pay for, because it augments their abilities with AI, in a way that is not simply AI agentic utility? What are people using AI for that they have found that comes with risks that they would be willing to pay for [safety] to mitigate those risks?
News in Two Languages
News publishers are seeking more digital subscriptions amid lower traffic from major search engines because of AI summaries. What else can be added to news [as a service] to make people pay more? Language. All news can be displayed in at least 2 languages: side-by-side, line-by-line, paragraph-by-paragraph. The purpose of this will be to build familiarity with the other language. By seeing sentences, words and so on, in another language, regularly, without the burden of memorization, it can become easier to learn the other language, and maintain a mental consistency in sustaining what is learned. There would be learning resources for the rudiments of the language, but it would be easier for languages with similar alphabets. For those with different alphabets, prior lessons would be necessary. The objective will be to have dynamic and sustained continuity even when there is no one to speak — or practice — with, to solidify the knowledge. A platform can be developed. News publishers can own accounts on it. Then translations are provided for their contents, based on subscriptions and they get something more. They may also host the API on their websites and apps, to have their subscribers there have access. News is not information to memorize. Combining another language would boost cognition across ages, ensure AI is inducing better neuroplasticity for humans and providing new value for mind, not just a utility providing some answers in dissociation — without learning. It may also be useful to source news at certain destinations, with happenings but with only one news edition. It may shape how loved ones from afar get informed. News is what people are paying for already that they would be willing to pay more for, with an extra AI service for language.
AI Pen beyond AI Wearable or AI Pin or AI Sound Device
The next biggest AI device that would scale and be pervasive would not be an AI wearable or some AI sound device. It would be a pen that would fascinate users. Most humans write with their dominant hands [righthand for most, lefthand for a few], because of concepts in brain science called laterality and handedness. Simply, one hand delivers more coordination and stability than the other. So, most pens — including digital pens — are built to work with the dominant hand since balance and coordination are not an issue. However, what if a pen can enable the non-dominant hand to write properly? Say the pen is trained [supervised learning] on the structures of figures, shapes and alphabets of a language, so that it can lead the weaker hand, then it has tactile feedback, for balance, it could become how the non-dominant hand writes — properly. The awe and first move would win the market. More importantly, for people that are susceptible to metabolic syndromes and neurodegenerative diseases, they can use it to boost physical and cognitive functions [reading by writing], broadening the readiness of the brain against [the onset of] functional or structural losses. It can also be helpful as mental health therapy, as well as for a pivot to the physical from digital and to make some aspects of learning better captivating.
Mind Safety : AI Alignment
There are people that have reported that they fell in love with an AI girlfriend or have an AI relationship because they were using AI for some professional tasks but delved into personal interactions and things took off. This shows the need for a rudimentary display [as a service] of how emotions work in the human mind, in a display to tell what AI might do to the mind and to self-recall rather than to fall flat for it.
AI alignment is also safety for humans to avoid emotional AI extremism, AI radicalization, AI delusion or disconnection from reality and more. This service can be provided by subscription for those already subscribing to an AI friend service or AI relationship. It could also be a safety requirement, for users of certain ages to avoid unwanted outcomes.
LLMs Profitability
It is also possible to explore a new AI agent against sports betting and gambling addiction. And then something for libraries AI globally too. There can also be labor economics models on how to provide working alternatives from now, as AI erodes certain roles. AI can also be used to expand marketplaces for small businesses.
Major AI companies are focused on new data centers, subscriptions for existing services and cheaper options. However, what is already possible in AI research and innovation at present can use many of the existing advances. As news media, publishing houses, universities and more might become collateral damages of AI, the response should be innovation for the blind sight of consumer AI companies, profiting where they are losing.
There is a recent [June 24, 2025] report, Few Americans pay for news when they encounter paywalls, stating that, “The vast majority of Americans (83%) say they have not paid for news in the past year, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in March. Another 17% say they have directly paid or given money to a news source by subscribing, donating or becoming a member during that time. At the same time, 74% run into paywalls at least sometimes when they are looking for news online. This includes 38% who say they come across paywalled articles extremely often or often. Just 1% say they pay for access when they come across an article that requires payment. The most common reaction is that people seek the information somewhere else (53%). About a third (32%) say they typically give up on accessing the information.”
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