This Week's Term: Model Routing - directing different tasks to different AI models based on problem nature, required capability, cost, speed, and quality requirements.
Six months ago, most individuals and teams used a single AI model for everything. ChatGPT for some, Claude for others, Gemini for a few. The landscape has changed. Google optimized Gemini for reasoning depth. Anthropic built Claude for sustained agentic work. OpenAI specialized Codex for coding. The models have differentiated, and the gap between using one model for everything and routing intelligently is widening every month.
For individuals, model routing is an emerging professional skill. It means knowing which model handles which task type best within your specific domain. Financial modeling might go to one model. Code generation to another. Quick research to a third. This isn't about memorizing benchmarks - it's about developing intuition through deliberate experimentation.
For teams building AI products, model routing is an architectural decision. It means building systems that can programmatically route different requests to different models, implement fallback chains when a model is unavailable, and optimize cost by matching task complexity to model capability.
For organizations, model routing has direct business implications. Organizations that develop model routing capabilities - whether through individual skill-building or technical infrastructure - will get more value from their AI spend. They will avoid overpaying for simple tasks, undermatch complex ones, and adapt faster when the landscape shifts.
As Ethan Ferdosi, Senior Solutions Architect at AWS, presented in his practical multi-LLM routing strategies session - single-model approaches fall short as requirements evolve. The future belongs to intelligent routing.
Your action step
This week, take one task you would normally send to your default AI model and deliberately try it on two alternatives. Note the differences in quality, speed, and cost. Start building your personal routing intuition - it's a skill that will compound over time.