KPMG finds AI usage pricing is confusing executives

The Register reports that KPMG found 29% of senior leaders struggle to understand and control AI operating costs at scale. The report comes as Anthropic, OpenAI, and GitHub move some services from flat-rate subscriptions toward usage-based pricing. KPMG also found that some organizations are rephasing AI deployments when costs outweigh expected value, making cost governance a bigger part of enterprise AI adoption.

Key details: KPMG surveyed 2,145 senior leaders across 20 countries, 29% reported difficulty understanding AI operating costs at scale, Nearly half of organizations rephased AI deployments when costs outweighed value.

Why it matters: Enterprise AI adoption is increasingly limited by unit economics and governance, not just model capability.