> afaik it isn't when paying through API calls

There is no evidence for this. The claims that API is "profitable on inference" are all hearsay. Despite the fact that any AI executive could immediately dismiss the misconception by merely making a public statement beholden to SEC regulation, they don't.

> Models are still improving/getting cheaper

The diminishing returns have set in for quality, and for a while now that increased quality has come at the cost of massive increases in token burn, it's not getting cheaper.

Worse yet, we're in an energy crisis. Iran has threatened to strike critical oil infrastructure, and repairs would take years.

AI is going to get significantly more expensive, soon.