Chinese banks now hand out AI tokens like credit card points.
Chinese banks and phone carriers are handing out AI tokens, the units that meter chatbot use, as rewards. China Telecom sells 10 million tokens for 9.9 yuan a month, roughly $1.40. The country now burns about 500 trillion tokens a day, up from 100 billion in early 2024.
Why it mattersCheap Chinese models make AI cheap enough to give away, the way free phone minutes once were. That pulls in millions who would never pay a monthly fee for a chatbot.
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