Beyond Exponential: What Real AI Agent Logs Reveal About Costs

Production logs reveal that AI agent costs don't grow exponentially as theory predicts, but rather jump discontinuously based on architectural design choices. This challenges conventional assumptions, showing that specific patterns—like unbounded context accumulation—trigger disproportionate cost spikes. For teams deploying AI agents, identifying and eliminating these hidden jump points offers a more practical path to cost optimization than theoretical complexity analysis.