An AI Unit is a standardized way to measure consumption of paid Box AI features. AI Units condense technical details, such as a token (small unit of text read by AI) counts and model latency into a single, easy-to-understand metric. The number of AI Units consumed depends on the action type and whether you select a Standard or Premium model.
AI Units included
The initial number of AI Units is included in the license plan associated with your Box service account tier. The exact volume is specified in your Order Form.
| Plan | Included AI Units per month |
| Business | Available for purchase |
| Business Plus | Available for purchase |
| Enterprise | 1,000 |
| Enterprise Plus | 2,000 |
| Enterprise Advanced | 20,000 |
Consider the following when planning capacity:
- AI Units must be used before the Order End Date specified in the Usage Details table in your Order Form.
- Unused AI Units do not roll over to the next period.
- AI Units are purchased as a monthly volume within a recurring annual subscription.
- If you use multiple AI actions (for example, Q&A AI API and Text Gen AI API), AI Unit consumption is aggregated.
- Ensure combined usage stays within your purchased entitlements.
- You can purchase additional AI Units by mutual agreement with Box.
Monitor AI Unit usage
Only Admins have visibility into AI Unit consumption.
To view current consumption against your monthly quota:
- Go to the Admin Console.
- Select Home > AI Insights.
- Locate the AI Unit.
Users cannot see the organization's overall quota. If the quota is exhausted, you receive an error message when you attempt to use a paid feature.
AI Unit Consumption
For information on how AI Units are consumed across Box AI APIs, agents, and Automate workflows, reference the Box AI Units consumption table.
| Important: Any agent run within an Automate workflow is charged against your AI Unit allocation. |
Non-chargeable Features
Using the following features are only subject to daily AI Unit allotment
- Box Agent
- Including using Pro Mode
- Custom Agents in standard mode, not expanded mode
- Box Apps and Search
- Shield Auto-Classification
- MCP Partner Apps
AI Units do not apply to free Box AI features, such as Box Agent in standard mode (not Expanded Mode).
Actions using the Box Agent or custom agent in standard mode do not count toward AI Units.
What happens as you approach the limit
Box notifies admins at the following consumption thresholds:
Nearing quota
- The admin sees a yellow warning banner in the Admin Console.
- The admin receives an email notification
- Recommended action: contact your account manager to purchase additional AI Units.
At full quota:
- Paid AI features are blocked until the quota resets or you purchase additional units.
- The admin sees a persistent red banner in the Admin Console.
- The admin receives an email notification.
- Users see an error message when they attempt to use blocked features.
Feature Availability with Quota Reached
| Feature | Status when quota is exhausted |
| Box Agent (standard mode, not Expanded) | Available |
| Custom Agent (not in Expanded Mode) | Available |
| Box Apps and Search | Available |
| Shield Auto-Classification | Available |
| MCP Partner Apps | Available |
| Q&A AI API (documents, spreadsheets, images) | Blocked |
| Text Gen AI API | Blocked |
| Standard Extract Agent | Blocked |
| Enhanced Extract Agent | Blocked |
| Custom Extract Agent | Blocked |
| Box Agent in Expanded Mode | Blocked |
| Box Agent in Automate workflows | Blocked |
Manage AI Units efficiently
Consider the following practices to optimize consumption.
Choose models intentionally
Box offers two model tiers, each suited to different workloads:
- Standard models — optimized for speed and cost-efficiency. Best suited for bulk processing, basic Q&A, and summarization.
- Premium models — advanced reasoning capabilities, larger context windows, and complex tasks such as long document analysis and multi-step reasoning.
| Tip: Use Standard models for routine tasks and Premium models only when the task requires advanced capabilities. |
Configure Custom Agents
- Set a maximum query length cap.
- Disable agents that are not actively used.
- Constrain agent scope, because fewer files means fewer AI Units consumed.
Monitor proactively
- Review the AI Unit Insights card weekly.
- Identify heavy users through the User Activity Report.
How the quota resets
The AI Unit quota resets monthly at the start of each new billing period. Unused monthly allotted AI Units do not roll over to the next month.
If you purchase additional AI Units mid-month, access to blocked features is restored shortly after the purchase is processed. These purchased AI units will carry over to the end of the order date.
Purchase additional AI Units
To purchase additional AI Units, contact your Box account manager or the sales team at sales@box.com.
Box AI Units FAQ
Q: Do unused AI Units roll over to the next month? A: No. Monthly AI Units do not roll over and reset at the start of each billing period. One-time (pre-paid) AI Units carry over until the Order End Date.
Q: What happens if my users exceed the quota? A: Paid AI features are blocked. Users see an error message, and the admin receives a notification in the Admin Console. Free features continue to work.
Q: Do AI Units apply to Box AI for documents and notes (UI features)? A: Yes. AI Units are consumed when you use Box AI UI elements, not only the API.
Q: What should I do if I see the error "AI unit quota has been reached"? A: Contact your organization's admin. The admin can purchase additional AI Units or wait for the quota to reset at the start of the next billing period.