A financially independent trader who spends about $200 a month on AI tools like ChatGPT explains why they’re worth it

Erik Smolinski doesn’t know exactly how much he pays to use AI chatbots like ChatGPT.

“I don’t even know what I spend on it a year, to be honest,” the financially independent options trader told Business Insider. “I would guess maybe two grand between all the models.”

While free versions of AI models exist, he’ll gladly pay for a premium experience. Subscription-based models are common — ChatGPT, for example, has a $ 20-a-month “plus” version and a $ 200-a-month…