ICONIQ | AI Economics is a Design Problem
Three questions have run the AI conversation through the first half of 2026. Is adoption generating ROI? Should companies push usage or cap it? Will open-source models replace the frontier?
We observed three questions that have run the AI conversation through the first half of 2026. Is adoption generating ROI? Should companies push usage or cap it? Will open-source models replace the frontier? Each one starts too far downstream. We believe the more useful management question is: What combination of people, software, and models can produce the required result at the right level of quality and the lowest sustainable cost? For the 2026 State of AI report, we surveyed roughly 300 executives at software companies building AI products, interviewed finance leaders who own AI…
saved by
related reading
- How teams build – Linearlinear.app
- After Automation | Everyevery.to
- Economics and Transformative AI | Tom Cunningham – Tom Cunninghamtecunningham.github.io
- Stratechery by Ben Thompson – On the business, strategy, and impact of technology.stratechery.com
- My picture of the present in AI — LessWronglesswrong.com
- Introducing the Anthropic Economic Index \ Anthropicanthropic.com
- AI Is Really Weirdwheresyoured.at
- Random thoughts while gazing at the misty AI Frontierblog.eladgil.com
- AI Is Slowing Downwheresyoured.at
- Cracks in the AI Thesisramp.com
- Small Models Have Arrivedcalv.info
- Scenarios for our Economic Futureanthropic.com