What is AI Agent Cost ROI?
AI agent cost ROI should measure outcome economics, not token price alone.
Minimal formula
ROI_proxy = accepted_outcomes / (model_spend + infra_share + human_cleanup_cost)
Practical use
- measure weekly by workflow lane,
- include failures and retries,
- adjust routing from outcomes, not price headlines.
Bottom line
The cheapest model per token is often not the cheapest model per accepted outcome.