The AI bill is coming due. Businesses are learning tokens aren’t free

# The AI Bill Shock: Companies Are Finally Paying Attention to Hidden Costs Companies rushed to adopt AI tools without tracking how much they're actually spending, and now many are getting surprise bills that far exceed their budgets. The problem is that AI charges by "tokens" (tiny fragments of data processed), which don't work like traditional software costs and are hard to predict until the bill arrives. With three out of four companies lacking clear visibility into their AI spending, CFOs are discovering that "free" employee access to AI tools has quietly become very expensive.