The most AI-intensive firms are spending roughly $7,500 per employee each month on AI, based on Ramp AI Index data. The number highlights how quickly AI tooling and infrastructure costs can stack up inside aggressive adopters.
That figure is not yet higher than an engineer’s salary, but it changes the conversation around productivity. Companies need returns that justify not only subscriptions, but also model usage, infrastructure, integration work, and workflow disruption.
The next phase of AI adoption may be judged less by enthusiasm and more by whether these costs produce measurable operating leverage.