Is it really that the friction of custom prompt engineering somehow contributes to the low switching costs of API deployment, or does it simply make the latter seem like a more appealing alternative by contrast?
One could charitably concede that the pain of deep, integrated AI workflows might highlight the desirability of easy API redirection.
However, the actual architectural design of those APIs and the modularity of the services themselves are what fundamentally enable rapid demand reallocation, not the existence of a more cumbersome, older system.
It's like saying the sheer faff of traditional bank transfers makes contactless payments easier to use; the ease is inherent to the tap-and-go tech, not a consequence of the archaic BACS system.