简单kNN比复杂学习型路由更有效,且泛化性更强
Rethinking Predictive Modeling for LLM Routing: When Simple kNN Beats Complex Learned Routers
- 用调优后的kNN方法实现模型路由,无需训练参数
- 在多种任务上表现优于或媲美顶尖学习型路由方法
- 适合追求高效、可复现方案的研究者与工程师
随着大语言模型规模和专业化增长,模型路由(选择最适合输入的模型)成为高效部署的关键。尽管现有方法依赖复杂的可学习路由策略,但其对不同训练数据和评估设置的敏感性使比较与泛化困难。本文从简洁性出发重审路由问题,发现经过调优的k近邻(kNN)方法不仅达到甚至经常超越当前最先进的学习型路由,在多样任务中表现优异。为此,我们构建了一套标准化路由基准,涵盖指令遵循、问答和推理任务,并推出首个包含视觉输入的多模态路由数据集。研究揭示:模型性能在嵌入空间中的局部性特征使得非参数化方法能以更低样本复杂度做出强路由决策。这一发现挑战了当前对复杂架构的偏好,强调在投入复杂方案前应充分评估简单基线。所有基准与代码将在发表后公开,以支持可复现性和进一步探索。
原文摘要 · Abstract (English)
As large language models (LLMs) grow in scale and specialization, routing--selecting the best model for a given input--has become essential for efficient and effective deployment. While recent methods rely on complex learned routing strategies, their dependence on disparate training data and evaluation setups makes comparison and generalization difficult. In this work, we revisit LLM routing through the lens of simplicity. We show that a well-tuned k-Nearest Neighbors (kNN) approach not only matches but often outperforms state-of-the-art learned routers across diverse tasks. To support systematic evaluation, we introduce a suite of standardized routing benchmarks spanning instruction-following, question-answering, and reasoning tasks, as well as the first multi-modal routing dataset involving visual inputs. Our findings reveal that the locality properties of model performance in embedding space enable simple non-parametric methods to achieve strong routing decisions with lower sample complexity than parametric approaches. This challenges the prevailing trend toward sophisticated architectures and highlights the importance of thoroughly evaluating simple baselines before investing in complex solutions. To support reproducibility and further exploration, we will release all benchmarks and code upon publication.
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