A survey by AI cost management firm Mavvrik, run with Benchmarkit, reports that most organizations had an unexpected AI bill change a business decision in the past year, and that a quarter of those delayed or cancelled a project as a result. Charges tied to usage of AI models were the most cited surprise. Forecasting accuracy fell year over year, and spending on developer AI tools is often left out of reporting altogether.

• 62% saw a decision altered by cost
• 25% delayed or canceled an initiative
• 33% froze spending, 40% escalated to board
• 11% forecast within ±10%, from 15%

• cfodive.com2026-08-11