Technology
Business AI spending slowed in August as employee costs dropped
TechCrunch reports that payment data shows slowing adoption and a nearly ten percent per-worker spending drop at top firms.
The short version
- Adoption of artificial intelligence tools by businesses increased by just 0.4% in August, with 56% of Ramp clients paying for AI software.[TechCrunch]
- Per-employee AI expenditure among the highest-spending 1% of firms dropped nearly 10% to $7,205.[TechCrunch]
- Average token prices decreased from $1.15 in March to $0.68 per million tokens following price cuts by OpenAI and Anthropic.[TechCrunch]
- Whether lower spending reflects broader economy-wide cooling remains uncertain, as official US Census data indicates only 22% of businesses use AI.[TechCrunch]
Key facts
- Data across 70,000 companies using Ramp showed that 56% paid for AI tools in August, reflecting a 0.4% month-over-month increase.[TechCrunch]
- AI spending per worker among the top 1% of customer firms fell nearly 10% to $7,205.[TechCrunch]
- Average token expenses fell to $0.68 per million tokens, compared to a peak of $1.15 in March 2026, amid price cuts by Anthropic and OpenAI.[TechCrunch]
- Only 6.4% of AI-paying businesses used inference or model-serving platforms in August.[TechCrunch]
What remains uncertain
- Ramp's customer base may not represent the broader economy, as a US Census Bureau survey reported that only 22% of businesses used AI as of late August.[TechCrunch]
Sources
Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.