Insights
Benchmarking Agent Economics: What Normal Costs Look Like by Vertical
There is no universal “right” agent cost. Verticals differ in outcome definition, human baseline, and risk tolerance. Benchmarking agent economics means comparing like outcomes inside a peer set — then explaining variance with attribution data.
Build an honest benchmark
Normalize on outcome, include tool and retry spend, and separate pilot from production. Publish internal benchmarks before chasing external vanity numbers.
Use cost per outcome and the 2026 AI Agent Economics Report.
Not sure which of your AI costs are being booked? Run the free Agent Spend Assessment.
Onaro Meridian is FinOps for agentic AI: the system of record that attributes, controls and books what AI agents spend.
Brian Diamond
Brian Diamond is a fractional Chief AI Officer and founder of Onaro. He has spent 30 years running infrastructure operations and founded LANStatus, a Connecticut managed services provider and Microsoft partner, in 2001. He holds a Chief AI Officer certification and writes the CAIO Brief on AI leadership for finance and operations.