Energy-optimisation firm JouleWise Technologies has proposed integrating AI tokens into employee compensation packages as the growing use of artificial intelligence blurs the traditional distinction between employee compensation and workplace productivity resources.
The proposal comes as companies increasingly allocate AI credits, Copilot licences, GPU hours, cloud-compute capacity and automation tools to employees.
In a discussion paper titled ‘Can Tokens Be Part of CTC?’, JouleWise said these resources can influence employee productivity, reduce manual effort and potentially free up personal time, yet remain largely classified as operating expenses rather than resources with measurable economic value.
Companies can explore issuing 12-18 per cent of Cost to Company as digital grant tokens that employees can spend, save, trade or convert into cash, it said.
Under the illustrative model, each token would carry a guaranteed cash value and could be converted during defined settlement windows. Unlike stock options, the tokens would not depend on a company’s future valuation, but would function as deferred compensation with a protected cash floor.
Employees may choose to conserve tokens for a future cash payout, use them for automation or external assistance to complete work sooner, or invest them in training aimed at reducing future effort.
JouleWise compares the concept with energy markets, where consumption is metered, capacity is priced and scarcity creates market signals.
The proposed system would release tokens gradually through the quarter, allowing limited interest on unused balances and cap borrowing against future allocations.
The paper acknowledges legal, tax and behavioural challenges, including fairness, internal gig work and token-efficiency metrics.
JouleWise proposes to test the concept with one team over one quarter using a spreadsheet-based ledger, with real payouts protected at the guaranteed cash value.
Rachit Agarwal, Director, JouleWise Technologies, said the proposal is not about replacing salaries with tokens, but about asking whether employees should have greater choice over how they exchange cash, time, skills and AI-enabled productivity.
He added that the concept should be transparently tested and challenged by employees and experts before any real-world adoption.
Published on August 13, 2026
