OpenAI Chair Bret Taylor Says Companies May Stop Managing AI Token Costs Directly

OpenAI board chair Bret Taylor said on July 20 local time that as the artificial intelligence market matures, companies may no longer need to manage AI token costs directly and will instead pay for actual business outcomes delivered by AI applications. Taylor said the current debate over the 'token economy' reflects an early-stage AI market, and that other companies are likely to take over token management while enterprise users focus on business results and return on investment. Jiemian News reported that he compared the AI market to the early internet, when building websites was expensive before underlying complexity was gradually abstracted away. He added that over the next 12 months, corporate IT departments will become better at using AI, with different units such as marketing and software development potentially adopting different tools without needing to focus on tokens as a core concept.