The token bills are arriving, and a lot of teams do not like what they see. Halfway through 2026, the promise of cheap, abundant intelligence is colliding with enterprise reality.

Behind the headlines about new models and rising prices is a simpler story about whether your AI spend is actually buying business value. In this episode of AI, Actually, Jim Johnson, Nicole Kosky, Shanti Greene, and Andy Sweet connect three topics that look unrelated on the surface: early results from Fable 5, the real cost of tokens and total cost of ownership, and how to think about AI ROI.

The throughline is one piece of math. Grow the numerator, scope the denominator honestly, and build the business case before you deploy.

Topics covered:

Early field results from Fable 5 and why not all tokens are created equal
Token pricing, the end of the subsidy era, and the surprise-bill problem
What actually belongs in the denominator of an AI business case
The human in the loop, AgentOps, and the trust gap that paces adoption

Follow the Gang

Shanti Greene, Head of Data Science and AI Innovation, AnswerRocket - https://www.linkedin.com/in/shantigreene/
Andy Sweet, VP Enterprise AI Solutions, AnswerRocket - https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewdsweet/
Jim Johnson, President, AnswerRocket - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-johnson-bb82451/
Nicole Kosky, Senior Director of Services, AnswerRocket - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-kosky-5b9a3b6/

Learn more about AnswerRocket: answerrocket.com

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to AI topics and guest insights

02:20 Experimenting with Fable 5 and its value

04:00 Understanding token consumption and TCL

05:34 Cost and ROI considerations in AI models

07:52 The role of model reasoning and creativity

10:07 Managing costs and change in AI deployment

13:28 Strategic planning and business case development

15:02 Evolving models and maximizing value

16:51 Testing, evaluation, and human-in-the-loop

18:53 Leadership and organizational adoption of AI

21:15 The "Trust Gap" for Adoption

25:27 Closing thoughts and industry outlook

#EnterpriseAI #AIROI #AgenticAI #AIStrategy #LLM #AgentOps #AIActually