Information Retrieval
Finding relevant documents or passages from a large collection based on a query.
Definition
Information retrieval is the science of finding relevant documents or passages from large collections based on user queries. It encompasses techniques from traditional keyword matching to modern semantic search and forms the foundation of search engines and RAG systems. Key challenges include understanding query intent, ranking results by relevance, and handling the vocabulary mismatch between queries and documents.
Related terms
Semantic Search
Search that understands the meaning of queries rather than just matching keywords.
Enterprise Search
Search technology designed to find information across an organisation's documents and systems.
Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG)
A technique that grounds AI responses in retrieved documents for accurate, cited answers.
More in Core Concepts
Grounding
Connecting AI responses to verified source documents to ensure accuracy.
Hybrid Search
Combining keyword and semantic search for more comprehensive results.
Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG)
A technique that grounds AI responses in retrieved documents for accurate, cited answers.
Semantic Search
Search that understands the meaning of queries rather than just matching keywords.
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