Cognition, an AI startup, has launched an 'AI Productivity Guarantee' that promises customers up to $10 million if its AI coding agent, Devin, does not provide sufficient value. This initiative comes amid growing concerns from businesses about the effectiveness of AI investments, as many firms are tightening their budgets and implementing spending caps on AI services. Cognition's Devin is designed to autonomously manage coding tasks, allowing users to assign projects and bug fixes without human intervention. The productivity guarantee measures value based on engineering hours saved rather than traditional usage metrics. At the end of a customer's annual contract, Cognition compares the estimated monetary value of Devin's output against the customer's expenditures. If the AI-generated value falls short, customers receive credits for future services, rather than cash compensation. However, a notable aspect of this guarantee is that Cognition evaluates its own AI's performance, which may raise questions about the impartiality of the assessment. This bold promise aims to reassure companies of the value of AI amidst increasing scrutiny of AI spending.