---
title: "RAG (retrieval-augmented generation)"
description: "Retrieval-augmented generation, RAG, is a technique where an AI assistant first searches your own documents for relevant passages and then answers using only wh"
canonical: https://automataaicegeknek.hu/en/glossary/rag
language: en
publisher: Automata AI Cégeknek
updated: 2026-09-19
---

# What is RAG (retrieval-augmented generation)?

Retrieval-augmented generation, RAG, is a technique where an AI assistant first searches your own documents for relevant passages and then answers using only what it found. It is how an assistant can answer questions about your price list, policies or manuals accurately without being retrained, and it is the main defence against made-up answers.

## What makes RAG work in practice

The quality of the answers depends more on the documents than on the model. Outdated PDFs, duplicate versions and missing policies produce confident wrong answers. Cleaning the knowledge base is usually half the project.

## FAQ

**How often does the knowledge base update?**

As often as your source changes. We typically sync from a shared drive, Notion or your CMS on a schedule or on each edit.

Related: https://automataaicegeknek.hu/en/glossary/llm, https://automataaicegeknek.hu/en/glossary/hallucination, https://automataaicegeknek.hu/en/glossary/conversational-ai