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OliveGradient is a technical blog by me, Afonso Oliveira, exploring the quieter side of artificial intelligence — the systems and the architecture decisions that don’t make headlines but shape how things actually work.

What you’ll find here

Writing on topics including:

• AI systems and architecture — how models are built, deployed, and maintained in practice
• Privacy and encryption — end-to-end encryption, fully homomorphic encryption, and the intersection of ML with data protection
• Technical deep dives — the kind of detail that gets lost between the paper and the product

Topics subject to change as the field moves faster than my reading list.

The name

Gradient as in gradient descent — the algorithm at the heart of how machines learn. Each step measured, each update deliberate, converging toward something better. That’s the rate of learning and optimization this blog aims to bring to its topics.

Olive as in the fruit pressed into something clean and useful. Raw ideas, refined into clear writing. And the color itself — muted, grounded, understated. A deliberate contrast to the neon tones of hype that dominate most AI coverage.

Also a cheesy combination of my last name and an AI related algorithm with an available .com… Pure coincidence!

The approach

This is a space for careful thinking, clear explanation, and technical honesty. If something is uncertain, it’s presented as uncertain. If something is boring but important, it gets written about anyway.

Think of it as a research notebook left open on the desk. Except the handwriting is legible and there are no coffee stains. Yet.