The "ensemble of models" is nothing new. It's just that it's not really a moat that can be monetized. In the end you're always paying for something. You can engineer an elaborate harness with multiple models but it is not going to particularly solve a novel problem that the frontier models can with the same level of efficiency. You're saving money and paying with time. You're going to pay with something one way or another no matter what.

The frontier providers aren't dumb. They charge what they charge because they know this. If you think Fable is too expensive then the type of problems you are solving don't demand that level of capability.

If you are working on something cutting edge, something truly novel, the cost of frontier AI is well worth its price.

With all that being said. No one is going to complain if we can get the same capability at a lower cost. And I mean true parity. Not trading space for time.