Exact questions
SKUs and specific product names benefit from strong lexical/exact matching.
Lexical Search →Search technology
AI Search and Semantic Search are not the same.
Semantic Search focuses on meaning and conceptual agreement. AI Search is broader and can also combine query understanding, confidence, fallbacks, ranking and other models.
PartAI SearchSemantic Search
ScopeBroad search architectureMeaning-oriented matching
Exact matchingCan combine with lexical/exactNot the primary goal
Query understandingCan bring intent and entitiesUsually focus on semantic agreement
GuardrailsCan use confidence and constraintsRequires additional logic
EvaluationOver multiple retrieval signalsOn semantic contribution
Practical choice
Start with query behavior, not terminology.
Descriptive questions
Semantic matching can help where meaning says more than word overlap.
Semantic matching →Hybrid retrieval
Combine signals to preserve strong exact routes.
Hybrid retrieval →Evaluation
Measure the contribution on real queries and relevance judgments.
Evaluation →Compare technology on the same query set.
This way you can see which retrieval signals per query type actually contribute.