Evaluation & assurance6 MIN READ
When does an agent evaluation dataset become stale?
Age is only one signal. A dataset becomes stale when its cases, labels or conditions no longer support the decision the evaluation is meant to inform.
THE SOFTLANDER BLOG
May 2026
Softlander blog perspectives published in May 2026.
In May 2026
20 articlesArchitecture & engineering6 MIN READ
The anatomy of a tool-using AI agent
A tool-using agent is a controlled system around a model, not a model with an API key. Map its runtime layers before deciding what to test, trust or release.
Architecture & engineering6 MIN READ
How to evaluate model-routing decisions
A model router is a policy for allocating quality, cost, latency, privacy and failure risk. Evaluate whether each route serves the workflow—not whether routing is fashionable.
Architecture & engineering6 MIN READ
What can go wrong in a multi-agent handoff?
Multi-agent systems fail between workers when goals, evidence, state, authority and completion semantics do not survive the transfer. Test the protocol, not just each agent.
Strategy & transformation6 MIN READ
Vendor-neutral does not mean anti-vendor
Neutral advice compares dependencies and evidence against the client's decision; it does not pretend every platform is interchangeable or that vendors add no value.
Security engineering6 MIN READ
What should a security release decision rest on?
"The scans are green" is not a security release decision. A defensible one states what was tested, what is known to be wrong, who accepted it, and what would change the answer.
Evaluation & assurance6 MIN READ
What belongs in an AI agent release evidence pack?
A useful release pack connects the intended workflow, evaluated behaviour, unresolved risk and operating controls to one accountable decision.
Agent security6 MIN READ
Sandboxing and authorisation solve different problems
A sandbox limits what compromised execution can reach. Authorisation decides what an authenticated actor may do. Secure agents need both, tested independently and together.
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