Definition
Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) is an AI architecture that retrieves relevant external documents at query time and feeds them to a language model so its answer is grounded in specific, current sources rather than only its training data. It's the pattern behind most citation-capable AI search and enterprise assistants.
Why it matters
RAG is why AI answers can cite fresh, specific sources — and why well-structured, authoritative content that's easy to retrieve earns a place inside those answers.
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