Free AI in SMEs: quotas, data and remaining costs
In brief
According to Journal du Net, a so-called free AI offer can be a capped ongoing plan, a time-limited trial, welcome credits or open-source software. These options do not carry the same limits for a company. The article keeps five questions to ask before moving from one person's test to team-wide use.
Source : Journal du Net - « IA " gratuite " : cinq questions à poser avant de l'adopter en entreprise »
What it changes for an SME
For an SME of 10 to 250 people, a free account opened by one employee can spread without a budget or rules. According to Journal du Net, a volume that looks enough for one person can be used up within days once the whole team is on it, and a local tool shifts costs to hardware, electricity, storage and time. Even when installed on a company PC, some software still calls paid external services. Terms on data, hosting location and commercial rights over outputs often differ between the free and professional offers, which affects risk and compliance.
What you can do
- Establish whether the tool already in use is a capped free plan, a trial, credits or open-source software.
- Convert the quota into monthly work volume for your team and read the terms on data and commercial use of outputs.
- Record the date and page you consulted, then check again before any commitment.
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