Big Tech AI Agents Strain Budgets as Europe Calls for Faster AI Action

Uber’s CTO disclosed that the company depleted its AI budget for 2026 within the first four months after heavy use of Claude Code, prompting the firm to curb AI agent spending. Microsoft similarly announced the revocation of Claude Code licenses for its engineers, encouraging a shift to GitHub Copilot CLI to control costs. Other tech giants such as Meta, Amazon and Nvidia have incentivized employees to maximize token usage, leading analysts at Goldman Sachs to forecast a 24‑fold rise in token consumption by 2030, potentially reaching massive monthly volumes.

Separately, Fabio Panetta, Governor of the Bank of Italy, warned that unchecked AI adoption could widen income and skill inequalities across Europe. He urged the EU to accelerate economic reforms, technology transition, and financial market integration to keep the continent competitive and ensure the benefits of AI are broadly shared rather than concentrated.

Both reports highlight growing concerns that AI, while promising productivity gains, is generating unforeseen budget pressures for large firms and raising social equity challenges that policymakers in Europe are seeking to address.