AI Token Costs Soar, Google Offers Advice to Prevent Corporate Bill Shock

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology continues to evolve over time. From a point where the public was still fumbling with it, it has now begun to become a ‘companion’ in daily life.

Country Director of Google Cloud Indonesia, Karim Siregar, stated that AI has reached an advanced stage in its development. It is no longer just an experiment, but is now reliable for solving everyday problems.

“We no longer need to convince anyone about ‘oh, what is the use of AI like’. The next stage is that we want to expand the use of AI not only for personal use, but also for business,” Karim said during a Google Cloud Media Briefing event in Jakarta on Wednesday (15/7/2026).

Karim explained that the challenge with AI when used on a large scale is the cost. Companies need to calculate how much they must spend to use AI.

“We must not forget the cost impact of using AI. Currently, AI is charged using tokens. If you know, tokens are like paying for electricity based on usage, for AI it’s with tokens,” Karim explained.

When AI is used comprehensively, companies must be able to manage and control token consumption, starting from the cost and the added value for the business.

Companies also need to conduct smaller trials before eventually scaling up. That way, they will not be shocked by the surge in costs that will be incurred later.

“So that when we implement it at the corporate level, we are not shocked when there is a very high cost surge,” he explained.