Why AI agent token consumption far exceeds input
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Typing a single "hi" into an AI assistant shows 18,000 tokens consumed on the usage meter, of which only 1 comes from user input. This is an example used by a Hacker News AI article to demonstrate how fast AI agents consume tokens. The article breaks down where the remaining tokens go and explains how AI agents work to show why consumption is so fast. The report does not provide specific breakdown figures or a verifiable measurement method.
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- Hacker News AIWhy is your AI using so many tokens?
The post notes that typing "hi" into an AI assistant can show 18,000 tokens of usage, with only one of them being the user's own input, and sets out to explain where the rest went. It closes by saying it hopes the explanation demystified how agents work and why tokens are used so fast, and invites questions in the comments.
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