What Drives AI Tokens Cost? Commodification of Agentic Work and Its Consequences

DeepSeek looks cheap next to every other model, but that is not a discount. It is what a commodity costs once the market notices. Crude oil has grades, sulfur levels, and brand names, yet it still trades on one price, and tokens are heading the same way. Switching providers costs almost nothing, so the price gap should keep shrinking while speed becomes the next axis.