AI budgets in business: token governance and ROI

From tokenmaxxing to token rationing: what's happening

In June 2026, TechCrunch documented a fast-spreading phenomenon. Companies are exhausting their AI budgets far earlier than expected. The reason? Employees use generative models for low-value tasks: rewording emails, summarizing short documents, generating a few lines of text. Every API call consumes tokens. Every token has a cost. Multiply that by hundreds of users, and you get a spending line that is out of control.

This scenario has a name: tokenmaxxing. In practice, it's the heavy and often unconscious use of language model capabilities. But the euphoric phase already seems to be over. We're entering the opposite era: token rationing, the deliberate rationalization of AI consumption.

So the question marketing and digital leaders need to ask is no longer "which AI tool should we adopt?" It's this: "How do we govern AI consumption to maximize return on investment?"

The numbers reshaping CFO priorities

The AI-as-a-service market has grown exponentially. According to Gartner, by 2027 more than 70% of mid-market companies will have integrated at least one AI tool into their core processes. Yet the same research shows that fewer than 30% of these companies have a formal framework for monitoring usage costs.

Token-based pricing also creates variability that is hard to budget for. A company using GPT-4o or Claude 3.5 for content marketing can see monthly costs swing by 40-60% depending on request volume. As a result, CFOs are starting to ask marketing and digital teams to report AI consumption with the same precision they apply to ad spend.

In Italy, the context is even more complex. SMEs often adopt AI tools through SaaS subscriptions that include usage quotas. When those quotas run out, unbudgeted extra costs kick in. So governance isn't just an enterprise topic: it matters for anyone managing a team of 10-50 people.

Strategic takeaways: three dynamics to watch

Looking at the phenomenon from a consulting perspective, three structural dynamics deserve attention.

First, democratization creates dispersion. When an AI tool is available to every employee, consumption spreads chaotically. There's no prioritization of high-value use cases. Each user works by their own logic, often for tasks that don't need AI at all.

Second, the lack of output metrics undermines ROI. Many companies measure token consumption (input) but not the value generated (output). For example, how many work hours were saved? How many pieces of content drove organic traffic? Without these metrics, the AI budget remains an opaque cost line.

Finally, competitive pressure drives rushed adoption. Many SMEs integrated AI tools in 2025 without a governance strategy. Today they're dealing with the consequences. That doesn't mean AI was a mistake. It means a more mature approach is needed.

Work still in progress: AI governance in Italian SMEs

Building an AI governance model doesn't necessarily require complex structures. At SHM Studio, we work with companies of different sizes, and we see that the most effective frameworks share a few common elements.

Mapping use cases by value level. Not all AI uses are equal. Producing an optimized SEO copywriting campaign has measurable value. Rewording an internal email has marginal value. So the first step is to sort use cases into three categories: high value (strategic), medium value (operational), and low value (to limit or automate with cheaper models).

Assigning budgets by team or function. Just as you manage budgets for Google Ads campaigns or LinkedIn campaigns, AI consumption can be allocated by department. This creates accountability and encourages mindful use.

Choosing the right model for each task. Using a latest-generation model for every request is like driving an SUV for 500 meters. Lighter, cheaper models exist for simple tasks. So effective governance also includes a policy for selecting the model based on task complexity.

Operational implications for marketing and digital teams

For marketing leaders, AI governance translates into concrete decisions. Here are the priority areas to act on.

• Audit of current consumption: before you rationalize, you need to know where your tokens go. Many providers offer detailed usage dashboards. Start there.
• Integrating AI into SEO and digital marketing strategies: high-ROI use cases include optimized content generation, semantic SERP analysis, and campaign personalization. These uses justify a significant token investment.
• Team training: employees need to understand that every prompt has a cost. The goal isn't to limit creativity, but to steer it toward measurable objectives.
• Continuous monitoring: AI consumption isn't static. It grows with adoption. So the budget should be reviewed at least quarterly, not annually.

It's also worth considering adding AI governance tools to your technology stack. Some platforms let you set consumption thresholds, automatic alerts, and role-based access policies.

Toward 2027: whoever governs AI will own the competitive edge

AI governance isn't going away. On the contrary, it will grow in importance as models become more powerful and per-token costs are spread across ever larger volumes. According to Harvard Business Review, organizations investing in AI governance today are building a competitive capability that will be hard to replicate in the short term.

For Italian SMEs, this means acting now. Don't wait for the budget to run out before thinking about how to allocate it. Don't wait for a CFO to ask for reporting before building output metrics. AI governance isn't a constraint: it's an enabler.

Teams that balance freedom of use with cost control will get the best out of AI. Those that simply cut off access to tools risk losing the technology's real benefits. The balance lies in strategy, not in blocking.

To learn how to build a sustainable AI strategy for your business, the SHM Studio team is available for a dedicated consultation. You can reach us through the contact page or explore our digital services. More insights are available on our blog.