I'd be very, very curious to hear viable alternatives to ad supported models, that aren't based on how major companies have been doing it for the past 20 years (or longer?), where they make it free, then sneak in subscriptions, then over time, start increasing subscription costs.

I feel like it's not just the companies, but consumers/ audiences don't want to pay for most internet services unless it's something like infrastructure services where it somehow viscerally seems "sensible" and "right" to do so.

Why do we need an alternative?

All those online services, even the AI ones, need servers and bandwidth and paid people to maintain them. They need sources of income and the only reliable one known to man (today) is ads. If you have a different idea, please do explain, but before you say "monthly contributions" think twice about the reality of it and maybe also count for how many services you personally pay. Of course one could say "why do I need online services at all" but that's not a future I care about.

We don't need most advertising supported services at all. The ones that are actually useful I'm willing to pay for.