“Leadership asks "how much will this AI feature cost per month" mid-meeting - what do you estimate with?”
Answer the compute/API cost question on the spot, no engineer needed
Recommended AI Agent Skills
Calculates unit economics for an AI feature: cost per use, margin, and break-even point.
Unit EconomicsCost ModelingAnthropic
Forecasts budget or cost based on real usage trends, with a confidence range instead of a single point estimate.
ForecastingBudgetAnthropic
Quick-turnaround cost estimation for a technical item, with an explicit buffer and stated assumptions so the number holds up under leadership questioning.
Cost EstimationBudgeting
Action framework
- Estimate monthly API calls: active users × how often each one uses the feature.
- Estimate average tokens per call (input + output) - round numbers are fine, you don't need exact precision.
- Multiply calls × tokens × the model's token price to get the base cost.
- Add a buffer (typically 20-30%) for retried failed calls or traffic spikes.
- Compare the estimate against a known budget threshold - if it's over, say so directly instead of just handing over a number.
Before
"I'm not sure, let me check with engineering."
After
"10,000 active users × 5 calls/month × 1,500 tokens/call × $0.002/1K tokens ≈ $150/month, plus a 25% buffer ≈ $190/month - within the approved $500 budget."