AI Cost Control Strategies

Keep AI spending predictable and under control with these proven strategies.

Set Usage Budgets

Establish monthly or quarterly budgets per department or project. Use cloud provider alerts at 50%, 75%, and 90% thresholds to catch overages early.

Implement Chargebacks

Allocate AI costs to the teams that use them. This creates accountability and encourages efficiency. Teams that pay for their usage naturally optimize it.

Regular Cost Reviews

Conduct monthly reviews of AI spending vs. value delivered. Identify and eliminate underutilized integrations. Ask: "Is this AI feature worth what we're paying?"

Negotiate Volume Discounts

For high-volume usage, negotiate committed use discounts with providers. Consider reserved capacity for predictable workloads.

Quick Wins

• Set up billing alerts immediately
• Review last 3 months of AI spending
• Identify top 3 cost drivers
• Assign cost owners to each AI project