Economics
How the saving is computed
Each request is priced at the model that answered and again at the baseline model, . The gap is your saving, and four levers create it.
1
Routing. A cheap classifier scores how hard each prompt is and sends it to the cheapest model that is good enough. Most of the saving comes from here.
2
Exact cache. The identical prompt, asked again, comes back instantly for $0.
3
Semantic cache. A reworded past question, in any language, also comes back for $0.
4
Batch lane. Work that can wait an hour or more goes through the providers' batch APIs at half price.
Hands-on
See each lever fire
A
Ask a question in Chat and note the saved line under the answer. That is routing.
B
Send the same prompt again. It comes back as exact_hit and costs $0.
C
Reword it and send it. It comes back as semantic_hit and costs $0.
D
Turn on Clarify first. A cheap model sizes the question, escalates only when it truly needs a bigger model, and asks you to clarify when it is vague.