Most LLM-powered features do not break at the model. They break at the context. So how do you retrieve the right information to get useful results, even under vague or messy user queries?
In this episode, we hear from Eric Ma, who leads data science research in the Data Science and AI group at Moderna. He shares what it takes to move beyond toy demos and ship LLM features that actually help people do their jobs.
We cover:
• How to align retrieval with user intent and why cosine similarity is not the answer
• How a dumb YAML-based system outperformed so-called smart retrieval pipelines
• Why vague queries like “what is this all about” expose real weaknesses in most systems
• When vibe checks are enough and when formal evaluation is worth the effort
• How retrieval workflows can evolve alongside your product and user needs
If you are building LLM-powered systems and care about how they work, not just whether they work, this one is for you.
LINKS
Eric's website (https://ericmjl.github.io/)
Upcoming Events on Luma (https://lu.ma/calendar/cal-8ImWFDQ3IEIxNWk)
Hugo's recent newsletter about upcoming events and more! (https://hugobowne.substack.com/p/stop-building-agents)
🎓 Learn more:
Hugo's course: Building LLM Applications for Data Scientists and Software Engineers (https://maven.com/s/course/d56067f338) — next cohort starts July 8: https://maven.com/s/course/d56067f338
📺 Watch the video version on YouTube: YouTube link (https://youtu.be/d-FaR5Ywd5k)

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hugobowne.substack.com