# Study finds cheaper AI models cost more on 32% of tested tasks

_Published Monday, October 5, 2026 at 9:50 AM EDT · AI, Products · Latest · Tier 2 — Notable_

Lower-priced AI models cost more than higher-priced models on 32% of 6,800+ tasks in a study reported by the Wall Street Journal. A survey also found that only 11% of approximately 400 businesses could forecast AI spending. AI usage is measured in tokens, but the number a model uses for a given task can be unpredictable.

## Sources

- [Techmeme](https://www.techmeme.com/261005/p15#a261005p15)

---
Canonical: https://techandbusiness.org/newswire/xy7iyqR821gjNeRRmWTnT8
Published: 2026-10-05T13:50:27.539Z
Story chronology: 2026-10-05T12:40:01.000Z
Retrieved: 2026-10-05T16:08:38.339Z
Publisher: Tech & Business (techandbusiness.org)