Model Selection Economics: Routing, Sizing, and the Cost-Quality Triangle

Model selection is the single highest-leverage decision in an AI feature's economics. The same task can cost $0.001 or $0.10 per call depending on which model you pick — a 100x range. Engineers who default to the most capable model burn budget; engineers who default to the cheapest ship features that hit quality SLO failures. The skill is matching model capability to task shape and traffic distribution, then building routing that adapts as either changes.

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