Synthesia HR Leader Advocates for AI Business Impact Over Token Usage

Laura Gonzalez, Head of People at AI video company Synthesia, advises against fixating on AI token usage as a primary success metric. She states that rewarding AI use for its own sake, often referred to as 'tokenmaxxing,' may not necessarily boost productivity or foster innovation within a company.

Gonzalez emphasizes that the goal should be the business impact AI delivers. She draws an analogy, comparing measuring token usage for software developers to evaluating a salesperson based solely on the number of calls made rather than deals closed. Better questions, she suggests, involve assessing if AI helps teams ship faster, prepare better for customer interactions, or shorten the onboarding time for new hires.

London-based Synthesia, which develops AI-generated video software for various business purposes, expects its employees across all roles to leverage AI when necessary. However, the company does not reward workers for maximizing their token usage.

This approach diverges from some industry trends where companies have used metrics like token burn rates or leaderboards to track AI adoption. The shift in perspective among some businesses is partly driven by surging AI costs for heavy users, as seen with companies like Coinbase and Pylon.

Gonzalez clarifies that cost concerns are not the primary driver behind Synthesia's strategy to deemphasize tokens, noting the firm's recent $200 million Series E funding round, which valued it at $4 billion. She also stated that not encouraging excessive token use does not impede a culture of experimentation.

While token usage may still be considered in specific scenarios, such as during hackathons, these instances are exceptions to Synthesia's general policy. The broader discussion around AI metrics comes as employers increasingly seek ways to incentivize effective AI use among their workforce.

According to Business Insider, ...