# Blog — Paiteq > Long-form posts on AI engineering, RAG, evals, agents, and production delivery. Authored in Sanity. For agents, every post is also available as markdown at `/blog/{slug}.md`. **HTML version:** https://www.paiteq.com/blog/ ## Key facts - Topics: production AI engineering, RAG patterns, eval design, agent architectures, LLMOps. - Markdown-for-agents: append `.md` to any blog URL for a parser-friendly rendition. ## Related pages - [Services hub](https://www.paiteq.com/services/) - [Case studies](https://www.paiteq.com/case-studies/) ## About Paiteq Enterprise AI engineering — production agents, RAG, LLM apps, automation, generative AI. Eval-first, senior-led, fixed-scope engagements. Same-day reply from engineering. NDA counter-signed before discovery. Walk-away clause on every engagement. **Site index for agents:** https://www.paiteq.com/llms.txt **Full content for agents:** https://www.paiteq.com/llms-full.txt **Book a call:** https://www.paiteq.com/contact/ --- ## Full content ● ENGINEERING NOTES # Notes on *shipping AI* in production. Technical writing on the things we build every day — agents, RAG, evaluation, framework trade-offs, voice systems, production failure modes. Every post is written by an engineer who ships the work, not a content-marketer. FocusAgents · RAG · LLMs · Eval · Voice Length2.5–4K words · technical depth Posts live17 posts [ ![Semantic search hero — a single glass loupe resting over a field of tiny illuminated dots, one dot sharp under the lens](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xr290ucr/production/d8469f5b5a890dfac8d62387e4ec2f9b001f4ad9-1408x768.png?w=1200&q=75&auto=format&fit=max) FEATURED Jun 20, 2026 · 13 min ## Semantic search: how it works and how to build it An implementation-grade guide to semantic search: embeddings and ANN indexes, why pure vector search disappoints, and the hybrid (BM25 + vector) plus reranking pipeline strong systems actually run. Navin Sharma Read the post → ](/blog/semantic-search/) 001 / ALL POSTS 17 total - [ ![Embedding models hero — a dark felt board of fine pins joined by faint threads forming loose clusters](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xr290ucr/production/6bf7d9429900d8b6ad37d311f82053b30bc742af-1408x768.png?w=600&q=70&auto=format&fit=max) ## Embedding models: how to pick one for RAG A practitioner's guide to choosing embedding models for RAG: dimensions, the MTEB trap, domain fit, multilingual, cost vs latency, open-source vs API — with defaults. Navin Sharma Jun 20, 2026 13 min ](/blog/embedding-models/) - [ ![Agentic RAG hero — interlocking brass gears arranged in a closed loop on a machinist's bench, a retrieve-critique-retry feedback loop](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xr290ucr/production/2b834c0c4e921cb5f610ec3c4013d094832efc7a-1408x768.png?w=600&q=70&auto=format&fit=max) ## Agentic RAG: architecture, and when it actually pays off An opinionated architecture explainer on agentic RAG: retrieval-as-a-tool, query planning, self-correction loops, the latency and cost tax, and when naive RAG is still the right answer. Navin Sharma Jun 13, 2026 13 min ](/blog/agentic-rag/) - [ ![LLM fine-tuning hero — a row of fine brass calibration adjustment screws on a machinist's bench](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xr290ucr/production/1a6ba75e4fc2b1278ca1d28f4fdc93f4058c0cc3-1408x768.png?w=600&q=70&auto=format&fit=max) ## LLM fine tuning: when to do it, and when not to A decision-led guide to LLM fine tuning: when NOT to do it, fine tuning vs RAG vs prompt engineering, the real cost, and a runnable QLoRA recipe with eval. Navin Sharma Jun 12, 2026 13 min ](/blog/llm-fine-tuning/) - [ ![Self-hosted LLM hero — a single opened GPU compute unit on a workbench, cooling fins catching the key light](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xr290ucr/production/a18f7cba6d9d9a26e1e8fa84820c29ad8d1fd153-1408x768.png?w=600&q=70&auto=format&fit=max) ## Self-Hosted LLM: An Architect's Guide to TCO and When It Beats an API A self hosted LLM is a GPU-utilization bet, not a privacy purchase. The real TCO drivers, serving stacks, a computable break-even, and when self-hosting beats an API. Navin Sharma Jun 11, 2026 13 min ](/blog/self-hosted-llm/) - [ ![LLM evaluation frameworks hero — a precision balance scale and set of calibration weights on a stainless lab bench](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xr290ucr/production/9de38c0206028fc6952563a3474d51e975f9a5a9-1408x768.png?w=600&q=70&auto=format&fit=max) ## LLM evaluation frameworks: how to evaluate an LLM app Offline vs online eval, LLM-as-judge pitfalls, golden sets, and regression eval — plus which framework (DeepEval, Ragas, MLflow, Arize Phoenix, OpenAI Evals) to pick, with our defaults. Navin Sharma Jun 11, 2026 10 min ](/blog/llm-eval-frameworks/) - [ ![LLM gateway hero — a brushed-metal patch panel where many cables converge and route into a single output](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xr290ucr/production/aa30e65a1f35513427e84a2a6278784b7a44831f-1408x768.png?w=600&q=70&auto=format&fit=max) ## LLM gateway: what it does and when you need one An infra buyer's guide to the LLM gateway: routing, fallback, cost control, guardrails and observability, the build-vs-buy decision, and when you don't need one. Navin Sharma Jun 10, 2026 13 min ](/blog/llm-gateway/) - [ ![LLM benchmarking hero — a row of precision analog measurement gauges on a dark lab control panel](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xr290ucr/production/71964a59aca5e5d832bf75f9cd345f0fa85dfceb-1408x768.png?w=600&q=70&auto=format&fit=max) ## LLM benchmarking: what each benchmark really measures An engineering guide to LLM benchmarking: what MMLU, GPQA, SWE-bench, MMMU, LiveBench and HELM actually measure, where they mislead, and how to pick benchmarks for a real model decision. Navin Sharma Jun 10, 2026 11 min ](/blog/llm-benchmarking/) - [ ![Insurance Chatbot Build Guide: Architecture, Compliance, and the Surfaces That Carry Load — hero image](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xr290ucr/production/b58a2bb0630b2982b3e7c2402abd504392a83cf6-1408x768.png?w=600&q=70&auto=format&fit=max) ## Insurance Chatbot Build Guide: Architecture, Compliance, and the Surfaces That Carry Load An operator-grade insurance chatbot build guide: reference architecture, policy Q&A, FNOL/claims automation, state DOI compliance gates, and eval harness. Navin Sharma May 30, 2026 17 min ](/blog/insurance-chatbot-build-guide/) - [ ![AI readiness assessment hero — an engineer's clipboard and scoring checklist against a server-room and whiteboard backdrop](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xr290ucr/production/a7aa82f9487904ecd7357e2a6236b814e8f58c43-1408x768.png?w=600&q=70&auto=format&fit=max) ## AI readiness assessment: a vendor-neutral scoring rubric A vendor-neutral AI readiness assessment: a five-dimension scoring rubric (data, infrastructure, model, team, economics) with weights and honest go/no-go thresholds. Navin Sharma May 29, 2026 17 min ](/blog/ai-readiness-assessment/) - [ ![Overhead photograph of an architect's drafting table with a phased engineering blueprint, drafting tools, and a single cyan marker line](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xr290ucr/production/f6e7b74fa08d163059768f1fd5c166d23c17c33a-1408x768.png?w=600&q=70&auto=format&fit=max) ## AI strategy consulting: a roadmap template that ships An engineering-led AI strategy roadmap: four phases (audit, pilot, scale, operate) with go/no-go eval gates, build-vs-buy logic per phase, and cost-per-task economics. Navin Sharma May 29, 2026 17 min ](/blog/ai-roadmap-template/) - [ ![Fraud-detection decision flow](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xr290ucr/production/2cbfb1035c2609046fc446980cffb1ab62c5cf58-1408x768.png?w=600&q=70&auto=format&fit=max) Agents ## AI Fraud Detection at the Auth Boundary: Operator Architecture (2026) Auth-boundary fraud detection done eval-first: hybrid rules + ML + LLM with audit logs, false-positive cost math, and the production architecture we ship. With a walk-away clause. Navin Sharma May 22, 2026 19 min ](/blog/ai-fraud-detection-at-auth-boundary/) - [ ![Frost-crystal lattice radiating from a central node — orchestration patterns in a multi-agent system](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xr290ucr/production/73b0c0032d61a220527e6ff1e54f3c053cd3709b-1408x768.png?w=600&q=70&auto=format&fit=max) ## Multi-agent system orchestration patterns: a 2026 production guide Six multi-agent system patterns that actually ship in 2026 — supervisor, swarm, hierarchical, blackboard, sequential, hybrid — with framework picks and the production failure modes nobody warns you about. Navin Sharma May 17, 2026 27 min ](/blog/multi-agent-orchestration-patterns/) - [ ![Macro photograph of frost dendrites on cold glass — the branching retrieval pattern of a customer service chatbot](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xr290ucr/production/19608b3fa221073ea4d065bef54b13ee71b7c720-1408x768.png?w=600&q=70&auto=format&fit=max) ## Customer service chatbot: a 2026 buyer's guide A 2026 buyer's guide to customer service chatbots — RAG over your docs, eval gates on deflection, and what the LLM tier actually costs in production. Navin Sharma May 17, 2026 13 min ](/blog/customer-service-chatbot-buyers-guide/) - [ ![Macro photograph of crystals forming on a microscope slide under polarised light — restrained single-frame laboratory documentation](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xr290ucr/production/2114b823a72eb65cfc993c8551b5e2e9851f8126-1408x768.png?w=600&q=70&auto=format&fit=max) ## Generative AI services: a 2026 buyer's guide A 2026 buyer's guide to generative AI services — brand-controlled image, video, audio and multimodal pipelines, eval-graded outputs, and what the production pipeline actually costs. Navin Sharma May 17, 2026 17 min ](/blog/generative-ai-services-buyers-guide/) - [ ![Abstract visualization of noise resolving into structure — diffusion and flow matching](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xr290ucr/production/60323b12437696679107467a43f5b7f1e8705466-1408x768.png?w=600&q=70&auto=format&fit=max) ## Diffusion model vs flow matching: a 2026 buyer guide A 2026 buyer and builder guide to the diffusion model paradigm — flow matching, diffusion model architecture, sampling cost, and what to ship. Navin Sharma May 17, 2026 18 min ](/blog/diffusion-vs-flow-models/) - [ ![Long-exposure photograph of fibre cabling and server status lights in a data centre — automation infrastructure](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xr290ucr/production/6053843131f206a7235c526efad6e47a1f4b9e5e-1408x768.png?w=600&q=70&auto=format&fit=max) ## AI automation solutions: a 2026 buyer's guide A 2026 buyer's guide to AI automation solutions — what runs LLM-in-the-loop on n8n, Make and Temporal, where the cost lives, and how to ship eval-gated. Navin Sharma May 17, 2026 17 min ](/blog/ai-automation-solutions-buyers-guide/) Want to ship AI? ## The inquiry form is *faster* than any post. An engineer reads every inbound. Same business day on most replies. [Talk to engineering](/contact/) [Explore services](/services/)