CALIFORNIA, Nov 5 – Apple has reduced the amount employees can spend on artificial intelligence (AI) tools as part of a wider effort to control costs.
The move comes as the technology giant continues to encourage employees to use AI across its operations.
According to a Bloomberg News report cited by Reuters, Apple lowered the daily AI spending limit for some engineers from US$300 to US$200 last month.
The company is also considering further reductions for selected engineering teams. Their daily allowances could fall to as little as US$100.
Some employees outside engineering already have a daily limit of US$100. However, this amount could also be reduced to US$25 for certain teams.
Employees who need higher spending limits to carry out their work may request special approval from senior management.
AI spending limits cover tokens
The budgets are used to pay for AI tokens. These are units of text and other data that AI models process when responding to user requests.
Services such as ChatGPT by OpenAI, Claude by Anthropic and Gemini by Google use tokens to handle tasks.
More complex activities, including writing and checking software code, can consume large amounts of tokens. This can increase the cost of using AI services.
Technology companies review AI costs
Apple’s decision reflects a wider trend across the technology industry.
Several major companies are now reviewing their AI spending after initially encouraging employees to experiment with the technology.
The challenge is to reduce expenses without limiting the productivity benefits that AI tools can provide.
Bloomberg News has also reported that Goldman Sachs restricted access to some AI coding tools following a review of productivity and risk management.
Apple had not immediately responded to Reuters’ request for comment.
Source : AWANI | Rewritten By Minutesmy
