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Multi-Provider Routing

Work in Progress

This use case describes a proposed feature that is not yet implemented in the current version of the semantic router. This represents a future capability that would enhance the router's functionality.

The Challenge: One Size Doesn't Fit All​

Imagine you're building an AI-powered assistant for your company. Your users ask all kinds of questions:

  • Sarah needs help writing a professional email to a client
  • Mike is stuck on a complex calculus problem for his engineering project
  • Lisa wants to understand the legal implications of a new contract
  • David needs to debug a Python script that's throwing errors

Currently, you'd route all these queries to the same AI provider. But what if different providers excel at different tasks? What if you could automatically route each query to the AI that's best suited for that specific type of work?

The Solution: Smart Provider Selection​

This use case demonstrates how to implement semantic-aware routing that automatically selects the best AI provider based on what the user is actually asking for. Instead of treating all queries the same, the router would understand the intent and route accordingly:

  • Coding & Math Questions → Anthropic Claude (excellent at reasoning and code)
  • Document Drafting & Creative Writing → OpenAI GPT-4 (strong at language generation)
  • Legal & Business Analysis → GPT-4 (comprehensive knowledge base)
  • Advanced Math & Research → GPT-5 (when available, for cutting-edge capabilities)

Real-World Scenarios​

Scenario 1: The Development Team​

Story: A software development team needs AI assistance throughout their workflow.

  • Code Reviews: Route to Anthropic Claude for detailed technical analysis
  • Documentation Writing: Route to OpenAI GPT-4 for clear, professional documentation
  • Algorithm Design: Route to Gemini for complex mathematical reasoning
  • Bug Fixing: Route to Claude for systematic debugging approaches

Story: A law firm wants AI assistance for different types of legal work.

  • Contract Analysis: Route to GPT-4 for comprehensive legal knowledge
  • Research Tasks: Route to Gemini for thorough analysis and reasoning
  • Client Communications: Route to GPT-4 for professional, diplomatic language
  • Case Strategy: Route to GPT-5 for advanced strategic thinking

Scenario 3: The Business Team​

Story: A consulting firm needs AI support for various business activities.

  • Market Analysis: Route to GPT-4 for broad business knowledge
  • Financial Modeling: Route to Claude for precise calculations and logic
  • Presentation Writing: Route to Gemini for compelling business language
  • Strategic Planning: Route to GPT-5 for innovative thinking

Current Limitations​

The current semantic router only supports vLLM endpoints with IP addresses, making it impossible to route to external AI providers like:

  • OpenAI API (api.openai.com)
  • Anthropic Claude API (api.anthropic.com)
  • Google Gemini API (generativelanguage.googleapis.com)

How It Would Work: Smart Provider Selection​

The router would automatically route queries to the most appropriate provider based on the type of task and content. Here are some examples of how this could work:

Example Routing Decisions​

User Query: "Help me debug this Python function that's returning None instead of the expected list"

Routing Decision: → Anthropic Claude (excellent at code analysis and debugging)

User Query: "Write a professional email to decline a client's request for a discount"

Routing Decision: → OpenAI GPT-4 (strong at professional writing and tone)

User Query: "What are the legal implications of using open source software in our commercial product?"

Routing Decision: → GPT-4 (comprehensive knowledge base) or GPT-5 (if available for advanced analysis)

How It Would Work​

Multi-provider routing would automatically select the best AI provider based on the type of task and content. The router would understand what each provider excels at and route accordingly:

  • Coding & Debugging → Anthropic Claude (excellent at systematic analysis)
  • Business Writing & Communication → OpenAI GPT-4 (strong at professional language)
  • Research & Presentations → Google Gemini (great at information synthesis)
  • Mathematical Reasoning → Gemini or Claude (depending on complexity)
  • Sensitive Data → Internal models (compliance and security)

Real-World Use Cases​

Use Case 1: The Tech Startup​

Scenario: A growing tech startup needs AI assistance for different team functions.

Business Need: Different teams have different AI requirements - engineers need code help, marketers need writing assistance, and legal needs secure contract analysis.

Solution: Route queries based on team needs and data sensitivity:

  • Engineering queries → Claude (excellent at code analysis and debugging)
  • Marketing queries → GPT-4 (strong at creative and business writing)
  • Legal queries → Internal models (sensitive contract analysis stays secure)

Business Value:

  • ✅ Each team gets the best AI for their specific needs
  • ✅ Sensitive legal data stays internal
  • ✅ Improved productivity across all teams
  • ✅ Cost optimization by using appropriate models

Use Case 2: The Consulting Firm​

Scenario: A management consulting firm needs different AI capabilities for different project types.

Business Need: Strategic projects need advanced reasoning, operational projects need systematic analysis, and quick research needs cost-effective solutions.

Solution: Route based on project complexity and domain expertise:

  • Strategic projects → GPT-4 (complex business analysis and strategy)
  • Operational projects → Claude (process analysis and systematic thinking)
  • Quick research → Claude Haiku (cost-effective for initial research)

Business Value:

  • ✅ Premium capabilities for high-stakes strategic work
  • ✅ Cost-effective solutions for routine tasks
  • ✅ Better project outcomes with appropriate AI assistance
  • ✅ Optimized costs across different project types

Use Case 3: The Financial Services Company​

Scenario: A financial services company needs to balance AI capabilities with regulatory compliance.

Business Need: Public information can use external AI, but client data and sensitive financial information must stay internal for compliance.

Solution: Route based on data sensitivity and regulatory requirements:

  • Public financial analysis → GPT-4 (broad market knowledge)
  • Client data analysis → Internal models (compliance and security)
  • Mathematical modeling → Claude (precise calculations and risk analysis)

Business Value:

  • ✅ Full regulatory compliance with data sovereignty
  • ✅ Access to broad external knowledge for public information
  • ✅ Secure handling of sensitive client data
  • ✅ Best-in-class mathematical modeling capabilities

Why This Matters: The Benefits​

For Users​

  • Better Results: Get the best AI for each specific task instead of one-size-fits-all
  • Faster Responses: Simple questions get quick answers from efficient models
  • Higher Quality: Complex problems get the attention they deserve from premium models

For Organizations​

  • Cost Optimization: Pay premium prices only when you need premium capabilities
  • Compliance: Automatically route sensitive data to secure, on-premise models
  • Reliability: If one provider is down, automatically failover to another
  • Specialization: Leverage each provider's unique strengths

Real-World Impact​

  • Development Teams: Get better code reviews and debugging assistance
  • Legal Departments: Ensure sensitive contracts stay internal while getting expert analysis
  • Business Teams: Access the best writing and analysis capabilities for each task type
  • Research Teams: Route complex problems to the most capable models available

Next Steps​

  1. Evaluate Your Needs: Identify which types of queries would benefit from different AI providers
  2. Start Simple: Begin with high-priority use cases like coding vs. writing tasks
  3. Plan Your Strategy: Map your team's needs to different provider strengths
  4. Consider Compliance: Identify which data must stay internal vs. can use external providers
  5. Monitor and Optimize: Track which queries benefit from different routing decisions