KPMG: 49 Percent of Executives Scale Back AI Agents Over Runaway Token Costs

Nearly half of executives scale back AI agent deployments over runaway token costs. KPMG's Q2 2026 survey found 49 percent of enterprise leaders scaled back AI agents after operating expenses crushed projected benefits. The core issue stems from unpredictable usage-based pricing, as long-running agent tasks silently burn through metered tokens companies have no real control over. Only 26 percent of leaders at billion-dollar organizations currently have full, real-time visibility into what running these models at scale actually costs. Despite the pullback, overall enterprise AI budgets remain steady at an average of $188 million as experimentation shifts to strict financial discipline.