Corporate AI Cheerleaders Run Into Reality of Soaring Costs

Big companies are goading workers to start using AI. Or they’re gatekeeping access to it. The stance is evolving as corporate employers waffle between justifying their investments in artificial intelligence and keeping a lid on usage as computing costs mount.

Walmart Inc. has capped staffers’ use of an in-house AI agent that helps with workplace tasks, according to people familiar with the decision. And Uber Technologies Inc. is limiting each employee’s monthly spending on certain AI coding tools to $1,500 per tool. The ride-hailing company had already blown through its annual budget for Claude Code, a popular tool from Anthropic PBC.

Across industries, companies are ...