Artificial Analysis (@ArtificialAnlys) · 10/21/2026, 00:30:01
Cost to Reach AI Intelligence Thresholds Drops Sharply as GPT-6 Luna Hits $0.03/Task
Data from Artificial Analysis reveals that the cost to reach specific 'Intelligence Index' thresholds is dropping rapidly. Reaching an index of 30 now costs 86x less per task than when first achieved, with GPT-6 Luna hitting it at $0.03/task. While top-tier models like Claude Opus 5.5 command higher absolute costs due to expanded capability ceilings, the barrier to entry for mid-level intelligence has significantly decreased.
SOURCE COVERAGEFull Original Report
Artificial Analysis (@ArtificialAnlys) · 2026-10-20 16
Once Intelligence Index thresholds are reached, the cost of accessing that level of intelligence reduces fast. Reaching 30 on the Intelligence Index now costs 86x less per task than when first reached
Existing intelligence thresholds have become cheaper to reach, while the highest-scoring model costs more than the highest-scoring from one year ago.
Key takeaways:
➤ Reaching 20 is 123x cheaper than ~13 months ago; reaching 40 is 33x cheaper than ~5 months ago: measured models first reached these thresholds in September 2025 and May 2026.
➤ GPT-6 Luna (high) reaches 30 for 2.49/task.
➤ Claude Haiku 5.5 (xhigh) is now cheapest to reach 40: it scores 41 at $0.12/task, 5% below GPT-6.1 Sol (low).
➤ Reaching 50 is 18x cheaper than when first reached: GPT-6.1 Sol (high) reaches it for $0.32/task.
➤ The highest measured score has risen from 21 to 58 in a year, at ~11x the cost: Claude Opus 5.5 (Adaptive Reasoning, Max Effort, Default Fallback) costs $5.98/task.
As of October 20, 2026, using measured v4.3.2 results and current prices, including for historical models.
