The industry is moving from "How do I prompt this model?" to "How do I build a system that uses models?" This shift marks the transition to Compound AI Systems.
The Architecture of Intelligence
A Compound AI System doesn't rely on a single large model to be the "brain." Instead, it uses a modular architecture where different components handle different parts of the reasoning chain:
- Retriever: Fetches relevant context (RAG/Graph).
- Logic Engine: Handles deterministic calculations and business rules.
- Orchestrator: Routes tasks between specialized small models.
Designing these systems requires a fundamental rethink of software testing, as individual components are often probabilistic rather than deterministic.