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✉️ What is RAG? And Why AI is Smarter With It

✉️ What is RAG? And Why AI is Smarter With It

— Issue #9 of The Artificial Newsletter

Sankalp Srivastava
May 02, 2025

🤔 Problem with Most AI Today

ChatGPT is smart…
…but often gives you:

outdated answers
hallucinations
or just generic fluff

Why? Because it's working with whatever it remembers from training — not what you know or need.

⚙️ Enter: RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation)

RAG = LLM + Search Engine + Brain
Think of it as giving your AI:

A memory (your files, notes, data)
A search engine (to find context)
Then asking it to respond — using that context

🧠 How RAG Works (Simple Chart)

             +-------------+
             |  Your Query |
             +------+------+
                    |
           +--------v--------+
           |  Vector Search  |  <– Finds relevant files/snippets
           +--------+--------+
                    |
             +------v------+
             |   Retrieved |
             |   Context   |
             +------v------+
                    |
         +----------v----------+
         |  LLM (ChatGPT, etc) |  <– answers using your actual data
         +---------------------+

🧪 Real Use Case

"Summarize our sales playbook, and tell me what to say to a hesitant CFO."

✅ With RAG → AI pulls exact sections from the latest PDF
❌ Without RAG → AI makes stuff up based on public sales templates

🧰 Tools You Can Try (No Code or Low Code)

Tool	What It Does
ChatGPT + File Uploads	Light RAG behavior, temporary context
ChatGPT Custom GPT	Semi-persistent context with file memory
ChatPDF / Claude.ai	Upload + chat with docs, simple UX
Flowise + LangChain	Build your own RAG system (low-code)
Notion AI with databases	Promptable private content (semi-RAG)

🔍 Prompt Example:

You are a customer success manager. Based on the uploaded doc, generate 3 talking points for a hesitant enterprise CTO considering renewal.

👉 With RAG: GPT uses your data
👉 Without RAG: GPT guesses

💬 Closing Thought

Think of RAG as giving ChatGPT:

A brain for your stuff
A search button for your folders
And the ability to stop guessing and start helping

This isn’t the future.
This is now.

👋 Next up in The Artificial Newsletter:
“How I Built a Personal RAG Bot for My Notes — No Coding, No Server”