Artificial intelligence is becoming one of the most powerful tools available to entrepreneurs, professionals, creators, students, and businesses. But as AI capabilities grow, so does another trend: subscriptions.
One AI platform might cost $20 a month. Another may cost $20 more. A specialized tool can add another subscription. Before long, someone who only needs AI occasionally can find themselves paying for several services they rarely use.
Jeff Bermant believes there may be another way.
The entrepreneur and founder of Tusk Central AI has spent decades building businesses, from real estate development to technology, private browsing, search, and now artificial intelligence. His latest venture is built around a simple question:
Why should everyone have to pay a monthly subscription just to access powerful AI?
His answer is Tusk Central AI, a platform designed to bring multiple AI models together while using an advertising-supported model for core access and pay-as-you-go pricing for certain more expensive features.
But the conversation on the Glovisor Podcast is about more than one AI platform.
It raises a larger question about the future of artificial intelligence: Will AI become a tool that everyone can access, or will it become another collection of paywalls and recurring subscriptions?
Jeff Bermant's Unconventional Path to AI
Jeff's journey into artificial intelligence didn't begin in a technology lab.
He came from real estate.
Born into a real estate family, Jeff started his career working in real estate and eventually became an entrepreneur and developer. Over the years, he says he built approximately $700 million worth of real estate, including office buildings, R&D facilities, and hundreds of homes.
That experience might seem far removed from artificial intelligence.
But Jeff says the common thread throughout his career has been solving problems.
Eventually, he became interested in solving problems on the web.
That led him into technology, including an early private and secure browser project called Cocoon and later search.
Then AI began accelerating.
And Jeff saw another problem.
He was paying for multiple AI services himself and started questioning whether there was a better business model.
Instead of simply accepting the subscription model as inevitable, he decided to build an alternative.
The Question Behind Tusk Central AI
Jeff's philosophy starts with a simple observation: many people don't use AI enough to justify paying for multiple monthly subscriptions.
Someone may want one AI model for writing, another for coding, another for research, and another for a specialized task.
Suddenly, access to AI becomes a collection of recurring bills.
For heavy users, that may be acceptable.
For occasional users, it can be frustrating.
Jeff believes the internet has already demonstrated another model.
A large portion of the web is available without a mandatory monthly subscription because advertising supports the service.
His idea is to apply a similar concept to AI.
Instead of forcing users to pay a monthly fee simply to access AI, Tusk Central AI is designed around advertising-supported access.
The goal is to keep advertising from overwhelming the experience.
Jeff describes the model as providing relevant advertising without making the ads interfere with the user's ability to interact with AI.
The underlying philosophy is straightforward: give people access to the technology, generate revenue through appropriate advertising, and allow users to pay only when they need more expensive capabilities.
Why AI Subscriptions Can Become Expensive
The problem isn't necessarily one subscription.
It's subscription accumulation.
Imagine an entrepreneur who uses one platform for everyday writing, another for specialized research, another for coding, and another for images.
Each individual subscription may seem reasonable.
Together, they become a significant recurring expense.
Jeff argues that users shouldn't necessarily have to maintain multiple subscriptions when they may only use each service occasionally.
This is especially relevant for small businesses and individuals who need access to powerful technology but don't necessarily use it every day.
For those users, paying for access when they need it can make more sense than paying every month regardless of usage.
That is the thinking behind Tusk's pay-as-you-go approach for certain more expensive AI capabilities.
Pay for What You Use
One of the more distinctive aspects of Jeff's model is the idea of avoiding subscription fatigue.
For certain premium or computationally expensive features, users may be able to purchase credits or pay for usage rather than committing to a recurring monthly payment.
Jeff gives the example of someone who might spend $10 on an expensive AI model one month and nothing the next.
Under a traditional subscription, that person could pay for the service in both months even though they only needed it heavily during one.
The pay-as-you-go model changes the equation.
You use the capability.
You pay for what you use.
Then you're done.
Jeff compares the concept to ordinary shopping. You don't walk into a store and automatically pay a recurring monthly fee just to have the ability to buy something when you need it.
For him, AI access should work more like that.
One Platform, Multiple AI Models
Another challenge with AI is that there isn't necessarily one model that is perfect for every task.
Different models can have different strengths.
A user might prefer one model for writing and another for coding or complex reasoning.
Tusk Central AI is designed to bring multiple models into one environment so users can choose which one they want to use.
According to Jeff, the platform includes a range of models and allows users to select among them.
But Tusk also offers another option for people who don't want to think about which model is best.
It's called Brainiac.
Brainiac: Let AI Choose the AI
For someone who is new to artificial intelligence, choosing between numerous models can be confusing.
Which one should you use?
Which model is better for math?
Which one is better for writing?
Which one is better for coding?
Jeff describes Brainiac as a system designed to help solve that problem.
Instead of requiring the user to select a model manually, Brainiac can evaluate the request and choose an appropriate model.
The user can then see which model was selected.
That creates an interesting layer of abstraction.
Instead of asking consumers to become experts in the AI marketplace, the system can potentially make the decision on their behalf.
For beginners, this can simplify the experience.
For experienced users, the ability to manually select a model remains available.
The result is a platform designed to accommodate both approaches.
AI Is Becoming More Than Text
The future of AI isn't limited to chat.
Jeff explains that Tusk is also working with capabilities such as image generation and voice interaction.
The broader vision is to bring many of the capabilities people associate with major AI platforms into one environment.
That could include writing, research, imagery, voice, search, and other emerging AI applications.
Jeff also discusses more creative possibilities, including making AI interactions more engaging through animated or non-human characters.
Whether every idea makes it into the final product is another question, but the underlying point is important.
AI is rapidly evolving from a text-based interface into a broader interactive technology.
Entrepreneurs building in this space aren't simply competing over who has the best chatbot.
They're competing over the overall experience.
The Entrepreneurial Lesson: Don't Accept the Existing Model
One of the strongest lessons from Jeff's story has nothing specifically to do with AI.
It's about challenging assumptions.
Jeff could have looked at the existing AI companies and concluded that subscription pricing was simply how the industry worked.
Instead, he asked:
Is there a better way?
That question is at the heart of entrepreneurship.
Established businesses often create accepted patterns.
Customers become accustomed to them.
Eventually, those patterns can begin to feel inevitable.
But entrepreneurs can challenge them.
Jeff's transition from real estate into technology illustrates this mindset. He says his strength is solving problems, and he carried that strength from one industry into another.
The industry changed.
The problem-solving mindset didn't.
What Real Estate Taught Jeff About Technology
Building hundreds of millions of dollars in real estate requires a different set of skills than developing an AI platform.
But Jeff sees a connection.
Both require understanding problems, managing resources, developing systems, and making decisions under uncertainty.
Real estate gave him experience as an entrepreneur.
Technology gave him a new environment in which to apply that experience.
And AI gave him another massive problem to solve: how to make advanced technology more accessible.
This is a useful lesson for entrepreneurs considering a pivot.
Your previous experience doesn't necessarily become irrelevant when you enter a new industry.
The specific knowledge may change.
The underlying skills can travel with you.
AI Access and the Idea of Democratization
Jeff repeatedly uses the word "democratizing" when describing his vision for AI.
His definition is straightforward: making powerful AI available to people regardless of whether they can justify paying multiple monthly subscriptions.
That includes people who may use AI occasionally.
It includes small businesses.
It includes students and professionals.
And, importantly, Jeff specifically talks about making the technology accessible to people who may not be able to afford another recurring monthly expense.
The goal isn't necessarily to eliminate paid AI.
Instead, it's to create another access model.
Users can have access to core AI capabilities without a mandatory subscription while paying for certain higher-cost features when needed.
That approach reflects a broader question facing the technology industry.
Who gets access to powerful technology?
And what happens when access becomes increasingly dependent on recurring payments?
Privacy Is Part of the Conversation
Jeff also discusses privacy, particularly in relation to Tusk's search capabilities and AI.
He distinguishes between the privacy features of Tusk search and the way AI services operate.
According to Jeff, Tusk's search is designed with greater privacy in mind, while AI interactions are intended to be more anonymous in terms of what the underlying AI providers see.
He also acknowledges that privacy is complicated.
Advertising-supported services inherently create tension between personalization, data, and privacy.
Jeff's philosophy is that users should receive as much privacy as reasonably possible while still allowing the business model to function.
For entrepreneurs building technology products, that tension is increasingly important.
Users want convenience.
They want personalization.
They want free or inexpensive access.
And they also want privacy.
Building a sustainable technology company requires thinking carefully about how those priorities interact.
The Business Model Behind "Free"
"Free" technology isn't necessarily free to build.
Servers cost money.
Developers cost money.
AI model usage can be expensive.
Infrastructure, security, product development, and customer support all require resources.
Jeff's approach is to offset some of those costs through advertising.
The underlying AI models are still supplied through relationships with model providers, while Tusk builds the surrounding technology and user experience.
That distinction is important.
Tusk isn't necessarily trying to recreate every foundational AI model from scratch.
Instead, it is building a platform that brings multiple models together and makes them accessible through a different commercial model.
That creates another entrepreneurial opportunity: building value around existing technologies.
You don't always have to invent the underlying technology.
Sometimes the innovation is in how technology is packaged, distributed, simplified, or monetized.
Why AI Shouldn't Replace Human Judgment
There is another important lesson hidden within Jeff's enthusiasm for AI.
AI can be incredibly powerful, but it can also be wrong.
Jeff shares a personal example in which he asked an AI system a question about college football history. The AI gave him an answer he immediately suspected was incorrect.
It was a hallucination.
That experience illustrates an important rule for anyone using AI professionally:
Don't confuse confidence with accuracy.
AI can produce an impressive answer in seconds.
That doesn't mean the answer is necessarily correct.
For everyday business tasks, AI can dramatically accelerate research, writing, brainstorming, analysis, and problem-solving. But important facts still need appropriate verification.
The best AI users aren't necessarily the people who blindly trust the technology.
They're the people who understand how to use it while knowing when to question it.
Who Is Tusk Central AI Designed For?
Jeff says Tusk is particularly useful for people doing complex work, creating images, asking complicated questions, or experimenting with different AI capabilities.
That includes entrepreneurs and business owners who want access to multiple models without maintaining multiple subscriptions.
It can also be useful for people who are relatively new to AI and don't want to spend time figuring out which model to choose.
Brainiac is designed to simplify that decision.
At the same time, more advanced users can choose specific models when they have a reason to do so.
This creates a useful spectrum:
Beginners can let the platform help choose.
Experienced users can choose for themselves.
Occasional users can avoid unnecessary recurring costs.
Power users can access more advanced capabilities when needed.
The Bigger Opportunity May Be AI for Everyone
Jeff's long-term vision goes beyond building another AI interface.
He sees an opportunity to make AI more accessible around the world.
That vision is based on the belief that AI can dramatically improve productivity and problem-solving.
Jeff says he personally uses AI multiple times a day to solve problems that might otherwise take him much longer to work through manually.
For entrepreneurs, this is particularly significant.
AI isn't simply another piece of software.
It can become part of the way a business thinks, communicates, researches, creates, and operates.
But accessibility matters.
If powerful AI is only practical for people willing to maintain several expensive subscriptions, a large portion of potential users may remain on the sidelines.
Jeff's model is an attempt to challenge that assumption.
What Entrepreneurs Can Learn From Jeff Bermant
Jeff's story provides a valuable entrepreneurial lesson: sometimes the opportunity isn't in following the industry's business model.
It's in questioning it.
He saw subscription fatigue.
He saw multiple AI providers.
He saw users hitting paywalls.
And he saw an advertising-supported model that had already worked across large portions of the internet.
Then he connected those ideas.
That is entrepreneurship at its core.
You don't necessarily need to invent something that has never existed.
Sometimes you take familiar concepts and combine them in a way that solves a problem differently.
Jeff's real estate background, technology experience, understanding of search, and interest in AI all became pieces of the same larger entrepreneurial puzzle.
The Future of AI May Be About Access, Not Just Intelligence
The AI race is often framed around which company has the smartest model.
But another race is happening underneath it.
Who can make AI easiest to access?
Who can make it affordable?
Who can simplify the experience?
Who can bring multiple capabilities together?
Who can build sustainable business models around AI without overwhelming users with subscriptions or advertising?
Those questions could become increasingly important as AI becomes a normal part of everyday work.
The technology itself may become increasingly powerful.
But the companies that make that technology useful, accessible, understandable, and sustainable will also play an important role.
AI Is a Tool—Entrepreneurship Determines What Happens Next
Jeff Bermant's story is ultimately a story about seeing an opportunity where others see an established system.
He moved from real estate development into technology because he wanted to solve problems on the web.
He moved from search into AI because he saw the potential of artificial intelligence.
And he created Tusk Central AI because he questioned whether the subscription model was the only way AI could be delivered.
Whether his particular business model ultimately becomes the dominant approach remains to be seen.
But the entrepreneurial question he raises is valuable regardless:
Does technology have to work the way it works today?
Entrepreneurs should never be afraid to ask that question.
The answer may reveal an entirely new business model.
The Bigger Lesson: Challenge the Paywall
AI is changing how people work, create, research, communicate, and solve problems.
But the technology is still evolving—and so are the business models surrounding it.
Jeff Bermant's vision for Tusk Central AI is based on a simple philosophy: make powerful AI accessible, allow people to use different models, reduce unnecessary subscription commitments, and let users pay for premium capabilities when they actually need them.
For entrepreneurs, the broader lesson is even more important.
Don't automatically accept the industry's existing rules.
Look for friction.
Look for unnecessary costs.
Look for customers who aren't being served.
Then ask whether there is another way.
If you're an entrepreneur looking to understand how AI, technology, business strategy, and innovation can reshape the way you work and grow, explore the resources available through Glovisor.
Because the next big opportunity may not come from creating a better version of what already exists.
It may come from asking why everyone accepted the old version in the first place.