AI Academy/AI Foundations/Lesson 08
LESSON 08 · AI FOUNDATIONS

Control Cost

Track cost before it surprises you. Repeated context, oversized prompts and using a large model for simple work are common cost drivers.

Goal: Create a simple cost model30 minOutput: Cost worksheet
Worksheet
prompt_tokens:
response_tokens:
calls_per_user:
users_per_day:
cacheable_context:
required_model:
Reduce cost
  • Cache stable instructions and reusable context.
  • Summarize long context before sending it repeatedly.
  • Use smaller models for simple classification tasks.
  • Batch offline work where real-time responses are not required.
Exercise

Estimate daily cost for your mini assistant at 10, 100 and 1,000 users.

Deliverable

Create a cost table and identify one change that reduces cost without reducing the required quality.

LEARNING CHECKPOINT

Capture the deliverable before moving on.

Cost worksheet is your evidence that this lesson has been applied, not just read.

✓ PRACTICAL OUTPUT