AI tools have spread faster than almost any software category before them. Zylo reported that spending on AI-native applications grew 75.2% year over year in its 2025 index. Teams subscribe to assistants, writing tools, coding copilots and meeting summarizers, while existing vendors add AI features as paid add-ons or consumption-based credits. The result is a new layer of spend, much of it overlapping, much of it unmeasured.
Three ways AI spend arrives
Assistants, writing, coding and meeting tools bought by teams, often on cards.
Paid features on products you already own, such as Microsoft 365 Copilot. See Copilot licensing.
AI features billed by usage: tokens, credits, summaries or actions. See usage-based pricing.
Each channel needs a different control. Standalone apps are found in finance and identity data; add-ons are found on existing contracts; consumption credits are found only by watching the meter.
A governance approach
- Inventory
AI apps from expense data, SSO sign-ins and OAuth grants, plus add-ons and credits on existing contracts.
- Assign owners and use cases
Each AI tool has an owner and an approved purpose.
- Review data access
What each tool can see, and where data goes.
- Pilot before scaling
With clear measures of value per role.
- Reclaim quarterly
Unused AI licenses go back to the pool.
- Consolidate
Overlapping assistants once a standard emerges.
AI tool approval questions
How MI One helps
Frequently asked questions
Should we ban unapproved AI tools?
Block clear data risks; otherwise offer approved alternatives quickly so teams do not go around the process.
How do we measure AI value?
Agree simple measures per use case, such as time saved or output produced, before rolling out.
Should AI spend have its own budget line?
Yes, at least for the first years. It makes growth visible and keeps value conversations honest.
Sources
- Zylo, "2025 SaaS Management Index," January 16, 2025. https://zylo.com/news/2025-saas-management-index
- Microsoft, Microsoft 365 Copilot for enterprise. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/copilot/enterprise