Retrieval-Augmented Generation

An approach that enhances AI model outputs by retrieving relevant information from external knowledge sources at inference time, grounding generated content in factual data.

An AI that looks up relevant information before answering, rather than relying only on what it memorised during training. Like a person who checks their notes before answering a question.

RAG is strategically important for governance because it can reduce hallucination risk by grounding AI outputs in verified organisational knowledge. However, it also introduces data access and quality governance requirements that must be managed.