AI For Dummies — Models
← ROUTE MAP
01 / MODELS
field guide ↗
Model routing
Choose the
engine.
A model has a capability ceiling. Effort controls how much room it gets to reason. Route by uncertainty and verification cost.
LOW
Bounded rhythm
Lookup, small edits, formatting, and transformations with clear checks.
MEDIUM
Default work
Normal implementation where the contract is clear but context matters.
HIGH
Ambiguity
Planning, architecture, security judgment, and hard failures.
Two knobs
Capability
× effort
ROUTING RULE
strong model + high effort → frame ambiguity
light model  + low effort  → bounded execution
raise one knob at a time   → compare evidence
Sequence
Spend judgment
where it
compounds.
01
Plan
Strong model: scope, risks, acceptance, and worktree split.
02
Build
Focused worker: smallest context and lightest model that can pass.
03
Review
Independent pass when missed issues cost more than the call.
Next: agents & trees →
Rules case study →