Budget-friendly AI Buddies Might Oust Novice Coders From Their Throne

“Inexpensive AI Agents Threaten Entry-Level Coding Jobs”

“In 2017, the cost of training an image-recognition system like Google’s was only a few cents per image. Now, using the most sophisticated AI technology, it could easily top $3. The difference is AI agents—programs that understand environments, make decisions, and learn from experience. By taking over certain tasks, like answering calls or managing databases, companies hoped to boost efficiency and cut costs. But there is a catch.”

The gains promised by those ever-evolving artificial intelligence (AI) agents now come with a price tag, and it ain’t just a handful of change anymore. Gone are the days when training an image-recognition system saw a company barely breaking its piggy bank. Today, you’ll need to dish out a whopping three dollars per image—and that’s just the tip of the digital iceberg.

Get this: companies embraced AI agents with visions of productivity boosts, cost cuts, and all-around effortless operations. Picture AI agents handling phone calls, curating databases, hell, eating your lunch so you don’t have to. But here’s a penny for your thoughts—the shiny promises of hours saved and pennies pinched are turning out to be a pricey burden.

It’s like taking a cross-country trip for some peace and quiet, only to end up at a death metal concert instead. Unforeseen, chaotic, and ironically rather expensive. But isn’t that how it always goes? A brand spanking new tech toy, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, promising to revolutionize the world and cut costs turns out to be another stress-inducing budget blackhole.

And yes, AI agents are indeed driving advancements in various fields. However, it seems that the more sophisticated the technology gets, the higher the price tag becomes. Factoring in the costs of development, data management, deployment, and the continuous training these systems require, the tab just keeps on growing.

So, despite the flag-waving and fireworks about AI, when it comes to thinking the whole AI is going to solve all your problems thing, better take it with a grain of salt. Like, maybe an entire salt shaker’s worth. Because, as sophisticated and tech-smart as these AI agents may be, they’ve got an immense appetite for your resources.

That’s the magic of technology, isn’t it? One minute you’re thinking you’ve just hit the jackpot and the next minute you’re wondering where all your money went. The irony may be tinged with a touch of sarcasm, but it’s reality in its purest form. AI is wonderful until you’re the one ponying up the dough for it.

Read the original article here: https://www.wired.com/story/pricing-ai-agents-increasing-costs/