Sam Altman: Sun Valley's Focus on Cheaper AI

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says the big question at this year's Sun Valley conference is how to make AI cheaper. He told CNBC that efficiency and return on AI investments are now major concerns. Altman stated that OpenAI developed its latest models, the GPT-5.6 family, with cost and speed in mind. This includes the Sol, Terra, and Luna models. The GPT-5.6 Sol model is 54% more token efficient on agentic coding tasks. Other executives are also focusing on AI spend. Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong is using cheaper models and routing prompts efficiently. Vercel CEO Guillermo Rauch suggests companies partner with various AI labs for different parts of their AI stack to get the best value. This trend highlights a growing focus on the practical economics of artificial intelligence.