Amazon Is the Latest Tech Giant to Face the Consequences of AI 'Tokenmaxxing'
Amazon has decided to shut down its internal AI leaderboard, Kirorank, due to rising costs and the practice of tokenmaxxing among employees. This move reflects a broader trend among tech companies reevaluating their AI usage amid soaring expenses and minimal returns. Despite the pullback, the demand for generative AI remains high as companies seek to find effective applications for the technology.
- ▪Amazon has closed its employee-led AI leaderboard, Kirorank, to address rising costs and tokenmaxxing practices.
- ▪Other tech companies, including Meta and Uber, are also scaling back their AI usage due to similar concerns over costs and productivity.
- ▪Generative AI usage continues to rise, with Google reporting a significant increase in token consumption despite the pullback from some companies.
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| Original publisher | CNET — News |
| Canonical URL | https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/amazon-ai-leaderboard-tokenmaxxing/ |
| Publication time | Fri, 29 May 2026 21:25:13 +0000 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-05-29T22:00:40.531Z |
| Last seen | 2026-05-29T22:00:49.559Z |
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Amazon became the latest tech giant to admit that maybe all AI all the time is not the best idea. The retail giant has reportedly shut down its employee-led AI leaderboard (known as Kirorank), an internal mechanism the company used to encourage employees to use AI more often. According to a report by the Financial Times, Amazon's decision was based on two factors. The first was cost. More companies are using more AI; the additional usage, measured in tokens, is causing prices to skyrocket. The second reason is due to employees engaging in a practice known as tokenmaxxing, where they make AI do menial tasks to increase token usage so that they score better on the leaderboard. In short, Amazon was spending a lot of money on AI that wasn't really doing anything.
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