While the world has spent the past few years focused on how to harness the potential of artificial intelligence, the pace of technological advancements means corporate leaders are now grappling with how they will afford its staggering costs.Business figures, industry experts and technologists explored this paradox at Tuesday’s Australian Financial Review AI Summit. Relatively cheap generative tools such as ChatGPT, which launched only four years ago, are already being eclipsed by more complex, power-hungry models such as agentic AI, which act as independent digital helpers.Subscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Fetching latest articles
The AI paradox keeping CEOs awake at night
Agentic AI costs are fostering a scarcity mindset within companies, alongside the practice of “tokenomics” as businesses seek to budget, monitor and optimise the cost of AI.











