---
title: "How to Manage AI Investments in the Agentic Era: Focus on Useful Work per Dollar and High-Value Workflows"
source: "OpenAI：News（RSS）"
source_tier: "t1"
url: "https://openai.com/index/managing-ai-investments-in-agentic-era"
permalink: "https://feed.astralor.com/items/itm_92ab1f77dd8ccf54b1a22b17"
published: "2026-07-14T10:00:00.000Z"
score: 85
channel: "ai"
tags: ["AI agents","OpenAI","ROI","Workflow Optimization","Cost Efficiency","Investment Management"]
---

# How to Manage AI Investments in the Agentic Era: Focus on Useful Work per Dollar and High-Value Workflows

## AI commentary

> This article is especially important for enterprises scaling AI agents. It reminds us that focusing solely on falling API prices is a trap; what really matters is the return per unit of work. I recommend CTOs and CFOs read it together and establish quantitative evaluation mechanisms internally.

## At a glance

OpenAI releases a guide for enterprises to optimize AI investments in the agentic era by measuring useful work per dollar. Key strategies include defining units of useful work (e.g., task completions), tracking cost efficiency, eliminating low-ROI use cases, and scaling high-value workflows. The article emphasizes shifting from 'deploying models' to 'managing agentic labor' and suggests establishing ongoing governance and evaluation frameworks.

## Key points

- Proposes 'Useful Work per Dollar' as the core investment metric.
- Treats AI agents as scalable labor, requiring management similar to human teams.
- Recommends rapid experimentation to identify high-value workflows and phase out inefficient ones.
- Emphasizes establishing ongoing governance and evaluation frameworks to optimize long-term returns.

## Full text

Learn how enterprises can manage AI investments in the agentic era by measuring useful work per dollar, improving efficiency, and scaling high-value workflows.

---

Verify against the original before citing; curated by Astral Feed: https://feed.astralor.com/items/itm_92ab1f77dd8ccf54b1a22b17