Can AI Models Direct Each Other? ManagerWorker Pipeline Tests Expensive-Model-Directs-Cheap-Model for Software Engineering
arXiv·high signal
ManagerWorker introduces a two-agent pipeline where an expensive text-only 'manager' model (no code execution) analyzes issues and writes detailed plans, then a cheap 'worker' model executes them. The paper asks a fundamental question for builder economics: can you get 90% of the expensive model's output by having it direct a cheap one? Results reveal organizational structure limitations that matter for anyone designing multi-agent coding pipelines.