A field guide to AI positions

Retrieval-augmented generation (RAG)

Using AI.

Sources are over 18 months old.

Publication dates and source age

Sources counted: 2

Newest dated source: 2024-07

Assessed at this edition's evidence cutoff: 2026-09-15. 18-month boundary: 2025-03-15.

Publication age does not tell us whether a claim is still valid. Reading an old source again does not make its publication date newer. An update date does not establish that the passage we used was updated.

Open in the glossary Reading notes · Structured record

Prepared with AI assistance. Not independently fact-checked. Original sources and qualifications are below.

In plain language

Finding relevant material and giving it to a model to help produce an answer. [1]

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Explanation based on the linked sources. Claim ID: claim-term-rag-1a5192ba3d7825ca26b24a72. Edition 0.20.0.

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Limits & distinctions

Retrieval can bring useful evidence into a response, but the answer still needs checking. Updating a searchable document collection and retraining a model are separate operations. [1] [2]

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Explanation based on the linked sources. Claim ID: claim-term-rag-09422ce4d5c74cb753a9bb98. Edition 0.20.0.

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A fuller explanation

A retrieval step finds passages in a collection. The generator then uses those passages alongside the question. For example, a help assistant could retrieve a product manual before drafting a reply. [1]

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Explanation based on the linked sources. Claim ID: claim-term-rag-1e4c26398ee834b2e16dc7b8. Edition 0.20.0.

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How it relates to the map

Ask which collection was searched and whether the retrieved passages support the answer. [1] [2]

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Editorial interpretation or qualification. Claim ID: claim-term-rag-25f52a21ad9f2e54a62ed1b2. Edition 0.20.0.

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https://theaiatlas.org/ideas/rag/

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Sources and what we read

  1. 1. Retrieval-Augmented Generation for Knowledge-Intensive NLP Tasks

    Patrick Lewis and coauthors / arXiv · First-hand source · Published 2020-05-22 · Updated 2021-04-12 · Material last read 2026-09-15

    Source is over 18 months old.

    Publication dates and source age

    Sources counted: 1

    Newest dated source: 2020-05-22

    Assessed at this edition's evidence cutoff: 2026-09-15. 18-month boundary: 2025-03-15.

    Publication age does not tell us whether a claim is still valid. Reading an old source again does not make its publication date newer. An update date does not establish that the passage we used was updated.

    Read scope is described in the source note.

    No archive check recorded.

    Read abstract and version history, plus version 4's results sections 4.3/4.4 and Broader Impact discussion during the history review. External passages can contain errors or bias. Used for the original approach; benchmark results do not establish accuracy for every system now called RAG.

    Source ID: rag-paper

  2. 2. Artificial Intelligence Risk Management Framework: Generative Artificial Intelligence Profile

    National Institute of Standards and Technology · First-hand source · Published 2024-07 · Material last read 2026-09-15

    Source is over 18 months old.

    Publication dates and source age

    Sources counted: 1

    Newest dated source: 2024-07

    Assessed at this edition's evidence cutoff: 2026-09-15. 18-month boundary: 2025-03-15.

    Publication age does not tell us whether a claim is still valid. Reading an old source again does not make its publication date newer. An update date does not establish that the passage we used was updated.

    Read scope is described in the source note.

    No archive check recorded.

    Read introduction, section 2.2 on confabulation, and selected MEASURE actions 2.3, 2.5, 2.6, 2.7 and 2.9 concerning evaluation evidence, generalization, citations, generated-code review and safeguards. A voluntary risk-management profile; no claim that all 64 pages or every referenced study was reviewed.

    Source ID: nist-genai-profile

Edition and machine-readable evidence

Content version 0.20.0. Evidence cutoff 2026-09-15; this does not mean every source was read on that day.

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