AI vs human cost — the full picture, per task
"AI is cheaper than a human" is usually true and frequently misleading. Cheaper per task, yes. Cheaper all-in, accounting for error cost + review + integration? Sometimes no. This analyzer compares monthly cost of running a task with AI vs humans at your actual volume, hourly cost, and per-task AI cost.
The math
Monthly human cost = (hours per week × hourly cost × 4.33 weeks). Monthly AI cost = (AI $ per task × tasks per week × 4.33). Savings = max(0, human - AI). Simple. The trick is in the inputs.
What to include in AI $/task
Sticker price of the API call is the starting point. Add:
- Review cost. If a human needs to check the AI output, include that time.
- Retry cost. Schema failures, guardrail trips, "please try again" all cost extra.
- Error cost. AI makes different mistakes than humans. Price the cost of a wrong answer.
- Integration cost. Building and maintaining the pipeline is amortized per task.
What to include in human hourly cost
Fully loaded cost — salary × 1.25-1.40 for benefits and overhead. Not just the paycheck. For contractors, include acquisition + management cost.
Tasks where AI wins decisively
| Task | Human $/task | AI $/task | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Translate product copy (EN→ES) | $15 | $0.02 | 750× |
| Draft 500-word blog post (first draft) | $60 | $0.05 | 1,200× |
| Summarize 1-hour meeting to bullet points | $35 | $0.01 | 3,500× |
| Invoice data extraction | $5 | $0.01 | 500× |
| Tier-1 support triage | $8 | $0.03 | 260× |
Tasks where humans still win
| Task | Why human |
|---|---|
| Legal contract negotiation | Accountability + tacit knowledge + regulation |
| Sales call to enterprise decision-maker | Relationship + trust + nuance |
| Novel product strategy | Requires new hypotheses, not summaries |
| Surgical procedure | Physical + regulated |
| Complex audit sign-off | Regulatory liability + expert judgment |
Reading the chart
The bar chart shows human monthly cost vs AI monthly cost per task. The automation-risk chart shows AI capability per task. Use them together:
- High capability + high human cost: Automate first. Biggest savings.
- High capability + low human cost: Automate, but the savings are small. Lower priority.
- Low capability + high human cost: Human work. Don't force it.
- Low capability + low human cost: Doesn't matter either way.
What this analyzer doesn't price
Strategic value, brand risk, employee morale, customer preference. A support chatbot that saves $40k/year but drops CSAT 10 points is a bad trade. Use this for first-pass economics, not the full decision.
- Job Automation Risk Analyzer — Task-level risk scoring for a role.
- AI Headcount Equivalent — Translate AI savings into FTE equivalents.
- AI Automation Hours Saved — Quick hours-saved calculator.
- Chatbot Deflection Savings — Specifically for support workloads.