OpenAI is reportedly looking at ways to lower the cost of its AI services as competition with Anthropic continues to intensify.
According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, the ChatGPT maker has been discussing possible cuts to token prices, the units used to measure and bill AI usage. While no decision has been finalized, company executives are said to be preparing for the possibility that Anthropic could also lower its prices.
The discussions come as businesses take a closer look at their AI spending. Many companies that rushed to adopt AI tools over the past year are now evaluating whether the benefits justify the growing costs.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently acknowledged that affordability has become a key concern for customers. He said the company is focused on finding ways to provide better value while reducing the cost of using its technology.
Any price reduction, however, could create new challenges. OpenAI and Anthropic are already spending heavily on the computing infrastructure needed to build and run advanced AI models. Despite strong revenue growth, both companies continue to face massive operating costs.
OpenAI President Greg Brockman recently said the company expects to spend around $50 billion on computing in 2026 alone, underscoring the scale of investment required to support modern AI systems.
The competition between OpenAI and Anthropic has become especially fierce in the enterprise market. Anthropic has gained traction among software developers thanks to Claude Code, a tool that has quickly become popular for coding-related tasks.
OpenAI is also expanding its presence in that space. The company says its coding agent, Codex, now has more than five million weekly active users. What started as a tool for developers is increasingly being used for a broader range of workplace activities.
At the same time, some businesses are beginning to question whether rapidly rising AI bills are translating into meaningful financial returns. The debate has given rise to the term “tokenmaxxing,” which describes the practice of using large amounts of AI computing resources in hopes of boosting productivity.
If OpenAI and Anthropic begin competing aggressively on price, it could mark a turning point for the industry. Lower costs would likely benefit customers, but they could also test how sustainable current AI business models are as infrastructure expenses continue to climb.
The rivalry is unfolding as both companies move closer to the public markets. OpenAI recently filed confidential paperwork for a potential initial public offering, following a similar filing by Anthropic.
Reports suggest Altman has told employees that OpenAI hopes to go public within the next year, although the company has indicated there are still several goals it wants to achieve before taking that step.
OpenAI is currently estimated to generate about $24 billion in annualized revenue, while Anthropic is believed to be nearing $47 billion. With both companies chasing growth and market share, pricing may soon become one of the biggest competitive factors in the AI industry.
