Better AI agent harnesses cut answer costs 71% without hurting accuracy

AI agents can produce the same answer for 71% less money when they run through a better harness. That puts pressure on the idea that raw model capability is the main source of advantage: the control system around the model increasingly determines the economics.

A Berkeley study cited on September 17 found no loss of accuracy from the cheaper setup. Harnesses are the systems that manage AI agents, and domain-specific versions were identified as a current competitive advantage while experimental designs continue drawing open-source contributions.