Is Google AI Ultra worth $250 a month or is the price completely tone deaf?

Google has officially launched Google AI Ultra, a high-end subscription plan that unlocks the company’s most powerful AI tools. It’s being pitched as the best way to experience everything Google AI has to offer. Sure, maybe it is, but at $249.99 per month, it’s hard not to question the timing.

Look, with inflation still hitting wallets and layoffs continuing across industries, launching a $250 monthly plan feels completely disconnected from reality. Google’s positioning it as a VIP pass for filmmakers, researchers, and creatives. But let’s be honest, folks, that’s a very steep price in today’s economy.

So what do you get for that kind of cash? The new plan gives users the highest usage limits in Gemini, early access to the upcoming Veo 3 video model, and enhanced features in tools like Flow, Whisk, and NotebookLM. There’s also 30TB of cloud storage thrown in, plus YouTube Premium.

Flow, Google’s AI video generator, is front and center here. It can create full cinematic scenes using Veo 2 and promises advanced features once Veo 3 arrives. Whisk lets you animate images into short videos. NotebookLM is getting more model capabilities later this year.

Another perk is Project Mariner, which sounds like something out of a sci-fi novel. It’s a prototype agent that can juggle up to ten tasks at once, from shopping to researching, using one dashboard.

Even browser users get something new. Gemini will soon show up in Chrome, helping users understand webpages and complete tasks using real-time context from the sites they’re browsing.

Google says the new Ultra plan is available now in the U.S. with a 50 percent discount for the first three months. Other countries will follow later. Meanwhile, the existing AI Premium plan has been renamed Google AI Pro and is picking up some new perks too, like access to Flow and Gemini in Chrome.

Students in the U.S., UK, Brazil, Japan, and Indonesia will get Google AI Pro free for a year, which is nice. However, the focus seems to be on pushing subscriptions, not addressing real-world financial concerns.

There’s no denying the tools are impressive. But this rollout feels a little tone deaf. At a time when many are tightening their budgets, Google is charging hundreds of dollars a month to access its “best” AI features. Quite frankly, it’s embarrassing and disappointing.