HN – Ask HN: Why LLM providers sell access instead of consulting services?

I don't understand the business model of AI companies like OpenAI and Anthropic: if the claims of nearly autonomous agentic product development are true, why would they sell access to their LLMs, in some cases at a loss, instead of providing consulting services at a fraction of the cost when compared to traditional human businesses?

In other words, why would they sell AI as a sort of commodity instead of using it to provide an end product like IT consulting which is extremely profitable?

Ask HN: Why LLM providers sell access instead of consulting services?

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