Hybrid Search
Combining two types of search — keyword matching and meaning-based (semantic) search — to get better results than either alone. Keyword search is fast and precise for exact matches. Semantic search is better at finding results when you paraphrase or use different words. Hybrid search uses both, then combines the rankings. Most production AI search systems use hybrid search because real user queries don't always match the exact words in documents.
In practice
Your internal knowledge base search uses both keyword matching and semantic (meaning-based) search at the same time. A query for "PTO policy" finds documents with those exact words AND documents about vacation time and leave — because hybrid search combines both approaches. It's more accurate than either method alone, especially for short queries.
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