An executive from Nvidia recently mentioned that the expenses for computing now surpass the wages of his staff. Last week, the CEO of Mercor indicated that the startup is allocating more funds for tokens for internal agents than for its employee roster.

As companies deplete their token budgets, a significant inquiry arises: Are organizations truly investing more in AI than in their human workforce?

Not just yet, according to new findings from the Ramp AI Index, which evaluates the incorporation of AI within American enterprises. The leading 1% of companies — referred to by Ramp as “AI-pilled” — are expending $7,500 per employee each month. Whether this is considered excessive or minimal hinges on one’s viewpoint, but it is certainly not surpassing the approximately $16,000 per month earned by the average software engineer. 

And these figures are merely from the heavy users. The top 10% invest around $611 monthly for each employee, while the median spends about $11.38, roughly equivalent to the cost of a seat on an enterprise plan. 

Nevertheless, in spite of the pressures, AI expenditures are still on the rise. Among AI-pilled companies, spending increased by 14.1% per employee last month. It remains uncertain whether this pattern will persist. The top 1% of companies often diversify, choosing to alternate between several leading models and platforms that provide access to lower-cost open source options.