Explained: Workplaces look for cheaper AI as ‘tokenmaxxing’ fades as a corporate fad

A corporate fad called "tokenmaxxing" — maximizing AI token usage — is fading as costs rise without matching productivity gains.

tokenmaxxing

Maximizing usage of AI tokens, treated by some as a sign of productivity or high performance.

tokens

The building blocks of generative AI text, each roughly three-quarters of a word, used to measure and price AI usage.

model routing

A system that automatically sends simple AI queries to cheaper models and complex ones to more powerful, costlier models.

open-source AI models

AI models like China's Kimi or GLM that are freely available and often cheaper than proprietary U.S. models.

Claude Opus 4.6

An advanced Anthropic AI model suited to complex tasks like software engineering or deep research.