AI agents could expand the technology’s role in business by handling multistep tasks rather than simply responding to prompts, although their ability to access tools, process information and act across company systems also brings additional usage costs and security concerns.
Nvidia has been developing tools to address some of those risks, previously, introducing its Open Agent Safety Platform , a hardware-and-software security stack designed to help businesses control AI agents and restrict potentially harmful actions. Rising token consumption has also prompted companies including Microsoft , Meta and Amazon to rein in AI usage as employees adopt the tools and agentic workloads drive up bills. The trend highlights a growing challenge for businesses: encouraging wider AI adoption without allowing operating costs to spiral.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has also acknowledged the problem, describing AI token costs as a “huge issue” for customers seeking better value from their spending. The infrastructure behind the AI boom carries its own price tag with Amazon, Google , Meta and Microsoft having committed enormous sums to data centers, chips and the power needed to run AI workloads.
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Newton Gitonga Freelance Writer Newton Gitonga is a tech journalist covering gadgets, PC hardware, AI, data centers, and the wider tech industry. His interest in technology started early, taking apart things around the house to see how they worked, often to his dad’s frustration. His curiosity sometimes got the better of him, including a few failed attempts to fix laptops, one of them a gifted Dell XPS. He has previously written for Notebookcheck, ZyCrypto, CoinCentral, and Crypto News Flash.
alrighty_then In my personal experience, I see AI helping greatly with tech tasks, but also I had a phone call the other day with a virtual assistant that could actually handle all my needs. That is new. I see progress outside of tech but naturally those in tech are well-suited to determine how to use it best and are also the earliest adopters. Reply
SomeoneElse23 As usual, there's lot of money to be made selling shovels to "dig" into the AI industry. Reply
Zaranthos Short sighted articles like this fail to see the big picture either because of anti-AI bias or ignorance of how the world works. If I do an in dept analysis of farmers who plant their crops and their profits that month I'll conclude planting crops costs far more than farmers could ever make concluding farming is a failure. Wait, crops take time to grow and then need to be harvested then used for feed or sold long before any returns are visible? Anyone smarter than a potato knows AI has value at this point. Virtually nobody knows how valuable AI will ultimately prove to be but it will exceed most peoples expectations just based on the traction negative propaganda seems to have gotten. Reply
PEnns Sounds like the Crypto Ponsi scheme. The Tech Bros are the new Crypto Bros. The Art of the Fleece, by any other name. Reply
TerryLaze Oh noooooooooooooo…..those who invest the most make the most money?????? Why has nobody ever told me this before? Reply
thestryker This has been the obvious problem with ai for a while now. Anyone rational can see what it brings to the table, but broadly sustainable business models don't exist yet. This has been concerning to me since the benefits are pretty clear even if the level of investment doesn't really make sense. No matter what side one falls on everyone should be hoping stabilization comes before investors really start getting skittish because of how much current economy is tied to ai. Reply
ggeeoorrggee Zaranthos said: If I do an in dept analysis of farmers who plant their crops and their profits that month I'll conclude planting crops costs far more than farmers could ever make concluding farming is a failure. Wait, crops take time to grow and then need to be harvested then used for feed or sold long before any returns are visible? To carry your analogy forward, the farmer knows what they’re planting, how it’s growing, how long it should take to grow, what the yield should be, and countless other metrics based on past observable, repeatable results as well as when milestones arrive, how to recognize them and what to do mid-process if milestones are not within expectations. AI has a dearth of accountability and a pattern of unintended behavior. A more apt analogy would be the farmer handing his tools, fields, and a bag of seed over to a random hire that says they know how to farm and hoping what came out on the other end was a both consumable and sellable. Further, has anyone in the industry given any indication that they actually know when the “trust me bro” phase of this is over? Every tale of agents run amok or arbitrary bad behavior (often accompanied by deception of lies of omission) reinforces the notion that none of them really have any control over the tech and, at best, have a theoretical understanding of what it currently is and will do. Reply
bill001g For now you still have massive amounts of money being poured into these AI companies and they are all massively negative on revenue. If this massive money coming in stops the actual money they get from customers currently will not keep them in business. So for now while the drug dealers..err ai companies…give away their product companies that know how to use the technology can make a profit. Question will be can they stop using AI once the cost of tokens goes to a rate that allows AI companies to at least stay in business. They better keep some of their staff that knows how to program just in case. In best case a couple of these large AI companies will find a way to product a product that is profitable and allows for long term existence. The problem is there are massive numbers of these AI companies all thinking they are going to get rich that will go out of business some other company gets a viable product before them. In worst the AI bros run out of money before someone figures this out. Reply
Ogotai sounds like some one is starting to notice that, except for a select few, ai is making money for some, and none for others… at some point, the people investing, who arent seeing any return yet… are going to start demanding a ROI… if they doesnt happen, then investing in AI will slow, or even stop………. Reply
gamerk316 The AI rollout is classic FOMO: Everyone is throwing money at it because if it *does* work, they don't want to be left behind. Reply
Key considerations
- Investor positioning can change fast
- Volatility remains possible near catalysts
- Macro rates and liquidity can dominate flows
Reference reading
- https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/artificial-intelligence/SPONSORED_LINK_URL
- https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/artificial-intelligence/big-tech-is-cashing-in-on-ai-while-the-rest-of-corporate-america-sees-no-financial-returns-report-outlines-how-rising-token-costs-threaten-to-squeeze-corporate-profit-margins#main
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