As a result of the lack of cost optimization tools among vendors and consumption-reduction strategies among users, AI development is in a situation where a developer's coding agents may cost more than they earn, at least in some parts of the world.

Gartner predicts that by 2028, AI coding costs will overtake the average developer's salary due to rising LLM token consumption and the shift to consumption-based licensing models.

Since the main AI coding agent vendors have shifted from seat-based licensing to consumption-based pricing, developer teams now face highly variable cost structures.


Developer teams face an emerging problem of escalating costs, said Nitish Tyagi, senior principal analyst at Gartner. AI coding bills were leaping from $20 or $100 to $2,000 to $5,000 per developer per month, while in extreme cases, the bill might hit $20,000 in token charges. .