Tokenmaxxing isn't an AI strategy

What does AI cost? It's a simple question and an important one – the answer will determine the fate of companies and shape society. But it's also a question that can't be answered in a meaningful way without additional context.

One possible response is "too much." US private AI investment reached $285.9 billion in 2025, according to Stanford HAI's 2026 Artificial Intelligence Index Report. That money has economic benefits but also adds stress to environmental resources, utilities, and communities. 

As the report states, "AI data center power capacity rose to 29.6 GW, comparable to New York state at peak demand, and annual GPT-4o inference water use alone may exceed the drinking water needs of 12 million people."

Then there's the cost to human competency, when skills atrophy or never develop due to overreliance on prompt slot machines.

But that's difficult to measure over ...