Model layer
Local and hosted models behind one gateway. Swap a model without touching an agent.
The Model layer is the intelligence. It is also the layer most likely to change under you, which is exactly why it is a layer and not a dependency.
What it holds
- Local models. Open-weight models running on your box or on a render node you own, for work that must never leave the building and for the bulk of everyday tasks.
- Hosted models. Frontier models from any provider, reached through the gateway, for work that benefits from them and whose data classification allows it.
- The model gateway. The single place every model request passes through. Routing rules decide which model serves which task, based on the Markings on the context, cost, latency and evaluation results.
- Evaluations. Every route has a test set. When a model changes, the evals re-run before the route changes.
Swapping a model
Because agents and skills talk to the gateway and never to a provider, changing the model behind a task is a routing change. Architect makes it, re-runs the evals, and reports the difference. No agent is edited; no skill is rewritten.
Token use tied to outcomes
Every request through the gateway is attributed to a build, an outcome and a session. You can see what each outcome costs in tokens and compare it with the value delivered. Token spend that does not trace to an outcome is the first thing we look at.
What it never does
- A model never sees data its session was not handed. The Data layer filters before the gateway, not after.
- A model never retains anything. No training, no fine-tuning on your data unless you commission it, on your hardware.
- A model is never the single point of truth. If a provider changes terms, prices or availability, the route changes and the work continues.
Why it matters
"We bought a SaaS AI in Q1 built on a model that already feels out of date, but we have invested so much time in it." We hear it constantly. In Adam AI the model is a component you change, not a foundation you are stuck on.
Related: Architect.