What is Model routing?

Model routing is a research. Technique of sending each AI task to a different model, e.g.

Does Model routing work in the EU?

Unverified. No explicit evidence found. This is a general technique rather than a regional product, so availability depends on the models and tools used. Last verified 14 Nov 2026.

How much does Model routing cost?

Pricing unknown. Not a product; the technique itself has no price. Costs depend on the models and tools used.

Where was Model routing shown?

In 1 creator video by Matthew Berman. Most recently by Matthew Berman on 7 Jul 2026, at 0:00 in "Cut your AI cost IN HALF (EASY)".

Model routing

Technique of sending each AI task to a different model, e.g. a frontier model for planning and a cheaper one for execution.

UnverifiedResearch Platforms & InfraResearch

Updated 14 Nov 2026EU status checked 14 Nov 2026Last shown 7 Jul 2026

Model routing at a glance

What is Model routing?: Model routing is a research. Technique of sending each AI task to a different model, e.g.
Does Model routing work in the EU?: Unverified. No explicit evidence found. This is a general technique rather than a regional product, so availability depends on the models and tools used. Last verified 14 Nov 2026.
How much does Model routing cost?: Pricing unknown. Not a product; the technique itself has no price. Costs depend on the models and tools used.
Where was Model routing shown?: In 1 creator video by Matthew Berman. Most recently by Matthew Berman on 7 Jul 2026, at 0:00 in “Cut your AI cost IN HALF (EASY)”.

Sources: creator videos at the linked timestamps. EU status is information, not legal advice; see how we check.

About

Model routing is a cost and quality optimisation technique, not a single product. Requests or sub-tasks are directed to different language models depending on difficulty, type or stage of the workflow. Simple or well-defined work goes to a cheaper, faster model, and harder work goes to a more capable frontier model.

A common pattern, described by YouTube creator Matthew Berman, is to use a frontier model for planning and a cheaper "good-enough" model for code execution. In his worked example, the cost of a task fell from $9.50 to $3.02, a reduction of about 68%. This figure is a single creator-reported example and will vary by workload, models and pricing.

Routing can be implemented by hand (choosing models per step in an agent or coding tool), with rule-based logic, or with a router or gateway that picks a model automatically per request. Trade-offs include added complexity, the risk of a weaker model failing on tasks misjudged as easy, and the need to evaluate quality across the models used.

Key features

Assigns tasks to different models by difficulty or workflow stage
Planner/executor split: frontier model plans, cheaper model executes
Reported example cost cut from $9.50 to $3.02 (about 68%)
Can be manual, rule-based or automated via a router or gateway
Needs quality evaluation to avoid regressions on misrouted tasks

1 moment

As seen on YouTube

Watch the moment: the exact second top creators show it. Videos load only when you press play, via youtube-nocookie.com.

Matthew Berman7 Jul 2026

Live demo

Cut your AI cost IN HALF (EASY)

Technique of using a frontier model for planning and a cheaper good-enough model for code execution. The creator's worked example cuts cost from $9.50 to $3.02 (about 68%).

0:00Open on YouTube