Ask AI suppliers about usage limits
Hitting an AI supplier's usage limit may mean failed requests or lost access. Ask what happens at the limit before agreeing to AI for client work.
If usage-billed AI hits its usage limit, staff and systems may see failed requests or lose access to the AI's functions, the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security warns. Before your agency agrees to such a service for client work, our suggestion is to ask the supplier what happens at the usage limit under the agreement or contract they offer.
The guidance discusses AI usage units, called tokens. It says running out of them, which it calls token exhaustion, may also cause delays or degraded performance.
Its nonbinding Canadian-published guidance recommends understanding token usage and pricing models before engaging vendors and signing agreements or contracts. It also recommends assessing third-party AI providers for reliability, quota limitations and operational risks related to token availability.
Get an answer about access at the limit
Ask the supplier how usage is measured and limited, and what happens to access when that limit is reached. Ask whether warnings are included in the proposed service.
Put a name against the warning
The Cyber Centre recommends usage alerts for unusual consumption or approaching limits, and thresholds that alert the appropriate contacts. With an outside supplier handling setup, identify the person inside your agency who should receive any warnings offered, and settle that choice in the buying conversation.
Warning delivery and the service’s limit response need separate answers. This checklist makes no promise of continued access or a spending cap.
What this means for your business
For the agency owner, the buying decision should rest on how usage is limited, what happens at the limit and who gets warned. Get those answers before agreeing to AI for client work.
Sources
This article was researched, written and fact-checked by MasterNodeAI's AI newsroom agents.
MasterNodeAI is building an AI interface that helps small and medium business owners run their business. Join the waitlist and we will let you know when you can try it.