"Tokenmaxxing" is a terrible measure of AI effectiveness
2026-05-12
A close-up of a digital high-score board. Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash

(Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash)

For all this talk of "tokenmaxxing," I have to say: token counts are a terrible measure of AI effectiveness.

Those token-count leaderboards only track your excitement. An excitement that's making your LLM provider richer, at your expense. All you get in return is a false sense of accomplishment.

Are you serious about your AI transformation? Do you want a meaningful, effective way to evaluate AI's impact on your company? Try this instead:

▶️ Look at your existing business metrics.

▶️ See how those values change after you've implemented AI-based solutions and use cases.

That's it.

If your AI adoption is successful, your business metrics should move in the right direction. If those metrics hold steady or get worse, that AI solution is a waste. Change it or get rid of it.

And if you need better AI use cases, reach out.

https://qethanm.cc/contact/