Synthesia HR leader says companies should track AI business impact over token use

Synthesia’s head of people said companies should measure AI by business outcomes rather than the number of tokens employees generate. Laura Gonzalez stated that evaluating workers on token counts is similar to judging a salesperson by the number of calls made instead of deals closed.

She said the preferred questions are whether AI helps teams ship faster, prepare for customer calls, or shorten the time for new hires to contribute.

Company policy Synthesia, based in London, develops AI-generated video software and expects all employees to use AI internally when needed. The firm does not reward high token use but still requires staff to apply the technology. Gonzalez said the company maintains a culture of experimentation without rewarding token maximization.

She noted that leaderboards tracking token use are used only during events such as hackathons.

Industry context Business Insider reported that some companies previously highlighted employees with the highest AI activity. Rising AI costs have prompted other firms to introduce weekly spending caps ranging from $500 to $5,000 depending on role. Synthesia raised a $200 million Series E round in January, valuing the company at $4 billion.

Gonzalez said cost pressures are not the reason the firm de-emphasizes token counts.