Glossary
AI & product terms, in plain English
Short, direct definitions for the vocabulary behind AI product work and fractional product leadership. Each term links to the deeper piece it comes from.
AI eval
An AI eval is a repeatable test that scores an AI system's output against a standard of what good looks like. Instead of eyeballing a few answers, you run the model across real examples, grade each by a clear rubric, and get a number you can track across versions.
What is an AI eval?→Eval-driven development
Eval-driven development is a workflow where evals, not vibes, drive how you build AI features. You define what good output looks like up front, then change prompts, models, or data and re-run the eval to see whether each change actually helped before it ships.
Eval-driven development for AI products→AI hallucination
An AI hallucination is output that is fluent and confident but factually wrong or unsupported by the source. Language models generate plausible text, not verified truth, so they can invent citations, facts, or policies. Testing for hallucinations is the failure mode AI evals catch most often.
How to test for AI hallucinations→LLM evaluation framework
An LLM evaluation framework is the structured set of datasets, rubrics, and scoring methods a team uses to judge a language model's output systematically. It turns 'this version feels better' into a score you can compare, so quality decisions rest on evidence rather than taste.
How to design AI evals→AI adoption
AI adoption is the process of putting AI to work inside a team or product so it produces real outcomes, not demos. It spans choosing where AI fits, designing for the moment the model is wrong, measuring quality with evals, and building the habits and guardrails that make it stick.
AI adoption consulting→Fractional product leader
A fractional product leader is an experienced product executive who runs your product function part-time, on a retainer, instead of as a full-time hire. You get senior direction (roadmap, rituals, coaching, hiring) for the months you need it, without the cost or six-month search of a permanent VP of Product.
Fractional product leadership→Fractional head of product
A fractional head of product is an interim product leader who steps into a growth-stage team to stabilize the product function, scale the operating model, and coach the team through the transition to a permanent hire. It is leadership for a defined window, not a forever seat.
Fractional head of product→