Finance executives tighten budgets as AI costs surge

Corporate finance chiefs spent the last few years being told AI would save them money. Now many of them are trying to figure out why it keeps costing more than planned. Finance executives are cutting back on AI spending and pulling budget control into a central function, according to Bloomberg. A wave of surveys released between September and October 2026 suggests the squeeze is widespread. The meter is running The core problem is pricing. Many AI vendors have shifted to usage-based token pricing, which charges companies for how much the models actually process. That unpredictability shows up clearly in the data. In Pigment’s Q3 2026 CFO Index, 83% of respondents said consumption-based AI costs came in above what they expected. U.S. Bank’s survey, released in September 2026, found that 51% of US finance leaders said their AI spending over the previous year exceeded budget. Deloitte’s September 2026 research adds a forward-looking warning. 60% of finance leaders expect AI costs and complexity to rise substantially through 2027. A separate 2026 report from Mavvrik found that 25% of firms delayed or canceled AI projects because of unexpected costs. Big names reach for the brakes Some ...