AI models are becoming outdated at record speed so what does that mean for the tokens that companies are spending millions on?

Date:
Mon, 28 Sep 2026 18:05:00 +0000

Description:
Vercel claims models older than three months are being ditched in favour of newer iterations, with older versions considered outdated and effectively retired

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter AI models are becoming quickly outdated as theyre replaced with newer versions Most AI tokens are used on models available for less than four months Open-weight models are now more popular than closed AI models New data from Vercels AI Gateway claims AI models are becoming outdated faster than ever as new versions are introduced. Token spend is increasingly on newer models most of which have only been available for the past three months and as use increases, token price is dropping.

Simultaneously, Vercel's report suggests the open-weight models are beginning to dominate, with the majority of tokens spent on the models with tunable options over the closed black box systems. A key example of this is Fable 5, Anthropics most capable model, which lost out to Anthropics own Opus 5 as
well as OpenAIs Astra. But upstart models, such as TypeSafe AIs Jev, are also having an impact. Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here: Token price down Date from the AI Gateway Production Index shows us that the
average price per token has dropped, for the third month in succession, this time by 23.2%. While this is due to various factors, one of the key
influences here is the token price way across the industry. Open-weight
models make is possible to self-host or run on affordable cloud servers.

The significance of open-weight models is growing, as enterprise AI use realises that a closed model can be swapped out for a more affordable and capable open-weight alternative. You may like What AI usage is really telling us about enterprise adoption 'There is no reliable, economical one-size-fits-all model on the horizon': Experts claim AI costs will grow fivefold by 2028, as demand continues to soar AI use in China increases 1000-fold with usage exceeding 140 trillion tokens a day

Consequently, in the September AI Gateway Production Index, open-weight
models have taken 56% of the token volume, but only 14% of the spend on tokens. Open-weight models have grown in popularity throughout 2026, with a token volume share of just 13% back in April and representing just 10% of token use in December 2025.

Open-weight models making an impact include Meta Llama 4, but Vercel highlights Jev, from TypeSafe AI, as leaving a noticeable footprint in token pricing. The new model has a very low token cost, but relies on a different type of input (data, rather than conversation). They also note it is the fastest-adopted model since the AI Gateway Production Index was launched.
Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Churn and spend While the improvement in AI models means better results for productivity and other uses, the manner of token spend may be about to change.

With the faster development and release of newer AI models, the commitment to older models insofar as the purchase of tokens that can only be used on
those legacy models highlights one of the biggest debates in the AI discussion: that AI development is moving too quickly. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.



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