Monday, August 4, 2025

What is Happening to the Cost for AI

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The cost of AI is significantly decreasing, with expenses for running AI models dropping dramatically, making it more accessible for startups and smaller companies. This shift is leading to a new landscape where the question is no longer if companies can afford to use AI, but rather if they can afford not to use it.

The AI cost collapse is changing what’s possible for startups

The hidden costs of AI: How generative models are reshaping corporate budgets

Current Trends in AI Costs

Significant Cost Reductions

  • The cost of using AI has dramatically decreased over the past year. For instance, the cost of running 500 GPT-4 queries per user session has dropped from $5 to less than 50 cents.

  • OpenAI's token costs have fallen by 90%, making AI more accessible to smaller companies and startups.

Factors Contributing to Cost Changes

  • Model Efficiency: Smaller AI models can now perform nearly as well as larger ones when trained effectively. This has led to reduced costs for companies developing AI solutions.

  • Self-Generating Training Data: Companies are now using existing models to create their own training data, cutting data costs by up to 90%.

  • Improved Inference: AI models have become more efficient, allowing them to run on less powerful hardware, such as laptops, rather than requiring high-end GPUs.

Future Cost Projections

  • Despite current reductions, the average cost of computing is expected to rise by 89% between 2023 and 2025, primarily driven by the demand for generative AI.

  • Companies are exploring hybrid cloud architectures to manage rising costs effectively, ensuring they can scale AI without prohibitive expenses.

Energy Consumption Concerns

  • The increasing use of AI is leading to higher electricity consumption. AI data centers are projected to consume 6% of the U.S. electricity by 2026, raising concerns about the sustainability of this growth.

These trends indicate a complex landscape where AI costs are decreasing in some areas while rising in others, particularly regarding infrastructure and energy needs.

The Hidden Cost of AI

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