# AI brainpower got cheap > Running artificial intelligence (AI) at the level of an older top model became about 280 times cheaper in two years, from about $20 to about 7 cents per… Source page: https://calankii.com/en/forces/ai-brainpower-got-cheap/ Last checked: 2026-11-12 Publisher: Calankii (https://calankii.com) ## The force AI is computer software that can read, write, answer questions and translate. Using it is priced by the "token", a small piece of a word. The Stanford AI Index 2025 found that the cost of running a model as good as an earlier top model fell about 280 times, from about $20 to about 7 cents per million tokens, between November 2022 and October 2024 ([Stanford AI Index 2025](https://hai.stanford.edu/ai-index/2025-ai-index-report)). At the same time, free "open" models caught up with the best paid ones. The gap between them fell from 15.2% in May 2023 to about 3.4% in March 2026 ([Stanford AI Index 2026](https://hai.stanford.edu/assets/files/ai_index_report_2026_chapter_2_technical.pdf)). So the price fell and the choice of suppliers grew. ## How fast it is moving Some 2026 reports say prices kept halving every few months, citing the AI Index 2026 ([DEV Community](https://dev.to/yanoai/llm-inference-costs-halved-every-two-months-in-2026-what-the-stanford-ai-index-and-hierarchos-mean-1ge3)). ## Inside the country Somali-language AI already exists, though it is thin. Hormuud's Caaqil answers questions in Somali by SMS: users dial *1000# with no internet or smartphone needed ([Garowe Online](https://www.garoweonline.com/en/news/somalia/hormuud-s-caaqil-ai-breaks-barriers-smart-knowledge-without-smartphones-or-internet)). Shaqodoon's NaMaqal turns spoken Somali into text for UN agencies and aid groups ([TechCabal](https://techcabal.com/2025/11/18/namaqal-somali-speech-to-text/)). Somali National University opened a national AI centre in July 2026 ([Intelligent CIO](https://www.intelligentcio.com/africa/2026/07/21/somali-national-university-launches-countrys-first-national-ai-centre/)). ## Outside the country Cheap AI is already serving people on basic phones elsewhere. In Zambia, Viamo's voice line let about 36,000 people ask 614,000 questions by calling a short number, and 95% got an answer ([GSMA](https://www.gsma.com/solutions-and-impact/connectivity-for-good/mobile-for-development/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/GSMA_Viamo_Voice-First-Generative-AI-for-Impact_2025.pdf)). ## What it does not solve AI can be wrong in ways that sound right, and it is not clear who is responsible when it is. A court held Air Canada responsible for false answers given by its chatbot ([CEPA](https://cepa.org/article/should-ai-chatbots-provide-government-services/)). Any service built on AI needs people checking it. ## What it means for young Somalis A young Somali with a laptop can now build a service that answers millions of questions in Somali, for a cost that was impossible three years ago. The force is cheap brainpower, open to anyone. --- I want to help with this: email hello@calankii.com. Fix this page: email hello@calankii.com with the page link and your source.