The Core Team behind the popular yet controversial project has officially implemented a major change to the pricing structure of its AI-powered App Studio, as they announced last week.

Starting from August 24, the project will no longer heavily subsidize app creation and editing costs for all developers. Here’s what and how changed.

What’s New in the Studio

CryptoPotato reported last week the major changes coming to the App Studio for the pricing model. Until now, Pi Network charged creators just 0.25 PI to generate an application and another 0.25 PI to edit it. However, the team said these prices did not reflect the actual costs involved.

They explained that AI-powered app creation is significantly more expensive, with the network covering the difference during App Studio’s introductory period. Having gathered more data about how Pioneers use the platform, the team has now decided to redirect those subsidies toward apps showing actual signs of utility.

Consequently, the standard price for creating and editing apps will now more closely reflect the underlying costs of the AI services required for each operation. That means that the new model will not necessarily charge a fixed fee, as the amount can vary depending on the resources consumed

The team emphasized that it will not add a markup on top of the underlying AI costs. However, they added that there’s an important exception.

The Exception

Not all creators will be charged equally. Those whose applications attract sufficient numbers of real and distinct users can continue paying the old subsidized rates. The team will use existing App Studio data to determine the initial group that qualified, but eligibility isn’t permanent.

Devs who initially do not qualify to receive the old pricing model can become eligible later if their applications start gaining actual usage. However, the team admitted that the actual qualification criteria could also evolve over time.

The announcement explained that the change should prevent network resources from being spent on experiments, tests, or spam applications while providing an incentive for developers to build products that people actually use and care for.

These changes come at a rather interesting moment for the entire crypto market as well as Pi Network’s native token. In fact, while BTC and most alts have surged by double digits in the past week, PI has failed to fully take advantage of the rally, currently fighting for the $0.09 level.

Source: CryptoPotato