Goldman Sachs: Token consumption drives AI costs, Uber restricts access
Goldman Sachs says the price of using AI is rising fast, mainly because of how much text these models process, called token consumption.
Some big names like Uber have already used up its 2026 artificial intelligence (AI) budget in just four months, so now Uber's response was to restrict access and give developers priority over AI services for customers on its app.
Companies adopt varied AI cost controls
To keep costs in check, companies are getting creative.
Meta dropped a tool that led to extra spending, while Amazon and Walmart now give teams specific allowances for AI use.
AT&T is switching to smaller agents for some tasks, and Microsoft changed GitHub Copilot to a credit system.
Still, many businesses find it tough to predict these costs, so figuring out smarter ways to manage AI is becoming a big deal.