Hybrid search
A retrieval approach that combines keyword search with semantic search and merges the results. It captures both exact matches, such as names and codes, and conceptual matches expressed in different words.
Why it matters
Business questions often mix exact references and concepts, for example a policy number and a description of a problem. Neither keyword nor semantic search handles both reliably on its own.
Hybrid search is a common default for enterprise retrieval systems, but the weighting between methods should be tuned and evaluated on real queries rather than assumed.
In practice
For example, a UK insurer’s claims assistant might need to answer ‘does policy HX-2231 cover escape of water from a dishwasher’. Keyword search finds the exact policy wording; semantic search finds the relevant exclusion clause that never mentions dishwashers.
Where Rodan fits
Rodan evaluates and tunes retrieval, including hybrid search and reranking, in Applied AI Engineering work.