Don't Take a Plane to Cross the Room

To get to the next room in our house, we simply walk.

To get to a house a few blocks away, we can walk or take a bicycle if we want to get there faster.

To reach a store a few miles away, a bicycle might work, but a car is usually more efficient.

To travel to another city, we may drive or take a flight, depending on the distance and urgency.

But we don’t take an airplane to go from one room to the next.

The same principle applies to AI.

Not every task needs the largest, most powerful model. Choose the right model for the job. Use smaller, faster, and more cost-effective models where they fit, and reserve the heavyweight models for problems that truly need them.

Optimizing AI isn’t just about getting the best answer. It’s about getting the right answer with the right level of effort, speed, and cost.