📅 2025-02-20 — Session: Enhanced FAISS Retrieval and Experimental Design Insights

🕒 14:50–15:30
🏷️ Labels: FAISS, Vectorstore, Experimental Design, Retrieval, Deep Learning
📂 Project: Dev

Session Goal

The session aimed to analyze and improve the effectiveness of vectorstore retrievers, particularly focusing on FAISS, and to explore key concepts in experimental design.

Key Activities

  • Analysis of Vectorstore Retriever Matching: Evaluated how FAISS and embeddings match passages to queries about deep learning models, such as BERT and Wav2Vec 2.0, based on semantic overlaps.
  • Mismatch Analysis: Investigated a mismatch between a deep learning query and a statistical inference passage, noting vocabulary overlap and similarity scoring issues.
  • Experimental Design Principles: Introduced fundamental concepts in experimental design, including ANOVA and types of experimental designs.
  • FAISS Optimization: Provided recommendations for improving FAISS retrieval quality, including index type selection and query refinements.
  • Addressing Length Mismatches: Discussed challenges with length differences in FAISS retrieval and proposed mitigation strategies.
  • Best Practices for Search Engines: Outlined best practices for quote finders and paragraph search engines, emphasizing precision and advanced techniques.

Achievements

  • Clarified the role of semantic and contextual overlaps in vectorstore retrieval.
  • Identified specific improvements for FAISS retrieval setup and strategies for handling length mismatches.
  • Provided a comprehensive overview of experimental design principles applicable to statistical analysis.

Pending Tasks

  • Implement the recommended FAISS improvements and evaluate their impact on retrieval accuracy.