Model Grand Prix
Five models race one task, cost ticking live.
Turns the invisible economics of an API call into a literal ticking meter raced in real time -- never a static pricing table.
What goes in, what comes out
The same task dispatches to several real model tiers at once, and the learner watches a live race: a cost meter ticking up per model, a latency bar filling, and a quality score landing as each finishes. A weighting slider (cheap-and-fast vs best-quality) picks a winner the learner then compares against the actual optimal pick for their stated priority.
A task prompt (edit or pick preset) and a weighting choice.
A live race animation, a final scoreboard (dollar cost, ms latency, quality score per model), and a 'your pick vs the optimal pick' verdict.
Task picker; model-roster toggle; cost/latency/quality weighting slider; cache on/off (to show repeat-query savings).
Demo inside AIE-402; homepage/hero lead magnet (directly answers the market's number-one tools/API-cost fear).
Go deeper, elsewhere
Hand-picked public explainers and open tools that complement this one — always optional, never required, never graded.
Concepts click when you open the machinery.
Three labs are already live and free — the same hands-on style this playground brings to its module.