Chapter C · 8 pages · ~104 min

Fine-tuning vs RAG

A practical, evidence-led chapter on fine-tuning versus RAG: mechanism, controls, tradeoffs, failure analysis, evaluation, and deployment decisions.

What you will be able to do

  • Explain fine-tuning versus RAG with an accurate system boundary
  • Trace evidence and decisions through a realistic a legal research assistant
  • Choose controls by quality, resource, and risk effects
  • Evaluate alternatives with segmented metrics, hard gates, and a reversible response

Lessons in this topic

  1. 01Build the mental model13m
  2. 02Understand the mechanism13m
  3. 03Learn the controls and knobs13m
  4. 04Weigh the tradeoffs13m
  5. 05Anticipate failure modes13m
  6. 06Evaluate with evidence13m
  7. 07Trace a worked example13m
  8. 08Mastery: connect the pieces13m