Microsoft moves to limit AI use by its employees

Until recently, it was common for companies and organizations to engage in “tokenmaxxing” — that is, maximizing their use of AI. But with AI costs going up, companies are now looking to save money, a trend underscored by a recent Microsoft decision to limit AI use by its employees.

“As we ramp up our use of GitHub Copilot to achieve our goals, we all need to be mindful of how we consume tokens,” Microsoft Executive Vice President Jay Parikh wrote in an email to the company’s employees.

Starting now, each department at Microsoft will be allocated a certain pool of tokens, with usage then adjusted up or down as needed.

The change prompted concern among some employees. “It’s very telling that a company that has invested so much in AI and subsidized so much AI inference is now advising its own employees to cut back on spending,” an anonymous Microsoft employee said in a comment to 404 Media.