AI dictionary for work
RAG (retrieval-augmented generation)
Letting AI answer from a document or source collection.
What it means
RAG is a setup where the AI first searches a collection of your documents for relevant passages, then writes its answer using those passages. It combines search with writing.
Why it matters at work
It is how "chat with your documents" tools work — company wikis, policy libraries, support knowledge bases. Answers are grounded in your material rather than the model’s memory.
Beginner mistake
Assuming a RAG tool is always right. It can still misread a passage or miss the relevant document, so spot-check important answers against the source it quotes.
Example prompt
Search our handbook for the remote-work policy, then summarise it in three bullets and link the section you used.
Go deeper
Last updated 2026-06-16 · Reviewed for current AI tools