The most advanced "Reasoning Models" (like the "o-series") are engineering marvels. They are also incredibly expensive. Using them for simple summarization or extraction is like commuting to work in a main battle tank.
The Challenge: "One Size Fits All" thinking.
Many teams hardcode their application to use the single "Smartest" model available. This leads to bloated cloud bills and unnecessary latency for simple tasks.
Recommendation: Model Cascades (Routing).
Implement a Smart Router. An inexpensive classifier sees the user request first:
- Simple Query ("Summarize this email"): Route to a small, fast, cheap model.
- Complex Query ("Analyze this complex legal clause"): Route to the expensive Reasoning Model.
This approach, known as "Token Arbitrage," allows you to maintain high quality on difficult tasks while slashing the cost of the other 80% of traffic.