Current spending on these tools matches or exceeds the cost of employing a researcher, though Epoch AI noted that list prices do not reflect actual internal costs. If the current growth rate persists for one more year, spending would reach about $185M per median researcher, a pace the analysis suggests is unsustainable.
Wednesday, October 21, 2026
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OpenAI Coding Agent Use Doubles Monthly to $601 a Day
AI15 days ago
The cost of automated inference tools for OpenAI staff reached roughly $2M per person annually by August 2026 based on API list prices. Use of these coding agents grew from under $1 per day in January to $601 per day by mid-August, with usage rates doubling every month according to an analysis by Epoch AI of figures published by OpenAI.
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