OpenRouter

New AI models are launching faster than ever - but choosing the right model for every request is becoming increasingly complex. Should developers choose a model upfront, or should a router dynamically select the best model based on each request? In this OpenRouter webinar, Preston Steele, Customer Engineer, and Brian Thomas, Product, break down manual vs. automatic model selection and explore when each approach makes sense in production. They cover how intelligent model routing works, the signals that can inform model selection, and how teams can balance quality, cost, latency, and reliability when deciding which model should handle each request. You’ll learn: • How intelligent model routing works • When to choose a model upfront vs. route dynamically • What factors a router can use to select the right model • How to balance quality, cost, latency, and reliability • Practical approaches to model selection and routing in production The best model isn’t always the same model. The question is when to choose it yourself - and when to let a router decide. Timecodes: 00:00 Model Selection: When Should a Router Decide for You? 03:44 Why Model Selection Is Getting Harder 07:12 Manual vs. Automatic Model Selection 09:13 Choosing the Right Model 13:50 Why Provider Routing Matters 17:10 Multi-Model Strategies 23:29 Automatic Model Selection 30:08 How OpenRouter’s Auto Router Works 38:58 Live Auto Router Demo 42:36 Building Your Model Selection Strategy 53:38 Q&A *** OpenRouter is the unified interface for every model: 500+ models from 80+ providers, processing 400T+ monthly tokens. - Access a variety of models through one API - Automatically route requests based on price, performance, and availability - Improve reliability with automatic fallbacks - Compare and switch models without rewriting your app - Org-wide usage dashboard, workspaces and enforceable guardrails Better prices. Better uptime. No subscriptions. Start building with OpenRouter: https://openrouter.ai