The AI Taxonomy.
Terms  /  Architecture  /  Intelligent Routing
05 · Architecture

Intelligent Routing

The system's ability to direct tasks to the right model, tool, or agent based on complexity, cost, and capability — rather than sending everything to the most expensive option.

Intelligent Routing recognizes that not every task needs a frontier model. A simple formatting task, a code linting check, or a straightforward data transformation can be handled by a smaller, cheaper, faster model. Complex architectural decisions, nuanced code reviews, or novel problem-solving might warrant a frontier model. Intelligent Routing makes this decision automatically, based on task characteristics, cost constraints, and capability requirements. The result is better cost efficiency without sacrificing quality where it matters.

Example
A system analyzes each incoming task and routes accordingly: typo fixes and formatting → small local model (cost: $0.001). Standard CRUD endpoint generation → mid-tier model (cost: $0.02). Complex algorithm design with performance constraints → frontier model (cost: $0.15). The system handles 100 tasks per day: 60 are simple (routed to small model), 30 are standard (mid-tier), and 10 are complex (frontier). Total cost: $0.66. Without routing, all 100 go to the frontier model: $15.00. Same quality on the complex tasks, massive savings on the simple ones.

More in Architecture

System-Centric AI

An architecture where planning, state, memory, and control live outside the model.

Model-Centric AI

An architecture where the model is expected to infer state, intent, plan, and memory from raw context.

Tool Isolation

Memory and context don't cross tool boundaries — each tool is a silo.

The Expertise Trap

Context and knowledge locked on one person's machine, inaccessible to the team.

Agent Fragmentation

Agents operating in disconnected silos with no shared state, duplicating work and contradicting each other.

Unified Context

A single, shared knowledge layer accessible to all agents and tools. The cure for Tool Isolation.

Context Portability

The ability to move knowledge between tools, agents, sessions, and team members without loss. The cure for The Expertise Trap.

Stateful, Inspectable Memory

A collaborative memory space where multiple agents and humans contribute to and draw from the same knowledge base — with full history and traceability.