Google Tackles AI Cost Shock with Pay-As-You-Go Pricing
Google is rolling out new tools to make its AI technology more affordable for businesses. The company's Gemini Enterprise platform will now offer a pay-as-you-go option, allowing customers to use the product without committing to fixed spending. This change aims to give companies a cheaper way to experiment with AI before they know how broadly employees will use it.
The new pricing model includes a per-month project spending limit that temporarily stops an agent's API calls once the budget is exhausted. There is no minimum spending requirement, and customers who commit to a set level of monthly Gemini Enterprise spending can receive discounts of 10% for one year or 20% for three years.
In addition to pay-as-you-go, Google plans to let customers defer some tasks until off-peak periods for token costs in exchange for discounts of up to 50%. This feature is expected to be available in the near future. According to Michael Gerstenhaber, a Google Cloud VP, the goal is to provide businesses with a 'smooth on-ramp' to discover how employees use Gemini before making a bigger commitment.