Choose the right AI model for your agent

Classification, short summaries, and simple drafts usually prioritize speed and predictable cost. Coding, long documents, and deep research benefit from stronger reasoning and a larger context window.

Do not choose a model by ranking or size alone. Prepare representative examples, compare accuracy, response time, and cost, then select the best fit for the production workflow.

A workflow can use different approaches at different stages. A fast model can handle preliminary sorting, while a stronger model reviews complex cases. This reduces cost without compromising quality where it matters.

Watch the growth of instructions and history: unnecessary context increases usage and can reduce precision. Keep only useful memory, remove repeated data, and rerun evaluation examples after switching models.