Semantic Routing

What is Semantic Routing?

Semantic routing is an advanced technique used in language models (LLMs) to route queries or tasks to the most relevant model or section of the system depending on the meaning of the input. Instead of treating all queries the same, semantic routing considers the context, intent, and structure of the user's query to find the optimum model for processing. This method increases the efficiency, accuracy, and relevance of responses, particularly when dealing with a variety of tasks such as data extraction, summarization, or complex decision-making.

In essence, it's similar to having a smart traffic control system that recognizes the type of each "vehicle" (or question) and directs it to the most appropriate route, resulting in faster and more accurate results.

Benefits of Semantic Routing

Multi-Task Systems

In multi-task systems where an LLM supports various functions (e.g., question answering, summarization, and code generation), semantic routing identifies the specific task based on the input and routes it to the appropriate function or model.

Specialized Models

Some applications use multiple llm models for different industries or domains (e.g., legal, healthcare, finance). Semantic routing ensures that a legal question is handled by a legal model, while a healthcare query is directed to a medical model, improving domain-specific accuracy.

Optimizing Costs

Routing less complex queries to smaller or cheaper models and reserving more complex questions for larger, more expensive models helps optimize both performance and cost. For instance, quick fact-based queries can be routed to a lightweight model, while reasoning-based tasks are directed to a more advanced model.