AI Cost Audit Checklist for Enterprises

This guide presents a checklist designed to help enterprises assess and manage their AI-related costs effectively. It outlines a structured approach for organizations to identify hidden expenditures within their AI stack. Divided into five sections, the checklist covers key areas including visibility and observability, model and inference choices, architecture, operations and prompts, and financial governance. Each section contains specific questions aimed at evaluating current practices and highlighting potential improvements. The checklist encourages users to score their responses, providing a tangible measure of their cost management capabilities. By addressing these questions, organizations can increase their awareness of AI spending, optimize their model selections based on cost-effectiveness, and implement rigorous governance practices. The goal is to establish a framework that not only identifies issues but also offers actionable steps to enhance financial accountability within AI operations.