---
title: "The Hidden Math Behind the AI Agent Cost Crisis"
date: 2026-08-31
source: http://www.bing.com/news/apiclick.aspx?ref=FexRss&aid=&tid=6a956456ed60401fac3a73fd3ce19751&url=https%3a%2f%2ffinance.yahoo.com%2ftechnology%2fai%2farticles%2fhidden-math-behind-ai-agent-103902546.html&c=12961476308034484082&mkt=en-us
description: "The Token Paradox Token prices have collapsed from roughly $20 to $0.07 per million tokens for the same capability, according to the Stanford HAI 2025 AI Index cited in McKinsey’s July 2026 report."
---

# The Hidden Math Behind the AI Agent Cost Crisis

The Token Paradox Token prices have collapsed from roughly $20 to $0.07 per million tokens for the same capability, according to the Stanford HAI 2025 AI Index cited in McKinsey’s July 2026 report.

*Published: 2026-08-31*