#AI in companies : Is an LLM+RAG approach the way forward?

Apple, with its announcement of its AI strategy last week, showcased a different approach by integrating an AI LLM model with the unique environment of its ecosystem. This combination leverages the strengths of AI while optimizing performance and user experience within Apple's hardware and software landscape.

An interesting article published by Benedict Evans : Apple intelligence and AI maximalism provides more insigh of this view: Apple has showed a bunch of cool ideas for generative AI, but much more, it is pointing to most of the big questions and proposing a different answer - that LLMs are commodity infrastructure, not platforms or products

One step back: Unlocking the Power of (Generative) AI for Enterprises

Generative AI (Gen AI) is not just a technological advancement; it's a transformative shift reshaping how businesses operate. From improving customer relations to streamlining decision-making processes, Gen AI offers a plethora of opportunities for savvy enterprises/organisations ready to embrace this journey. Embracing and experimenting is the first step. Today many organizations are investing massive amounts and many questions are still unsolved on privacy and confidentiality.

Another way to look at it is to structurally change the LLM from the context (the company /context specific data and information). There's where RAG comes into play.

Is LLM+RAG the Way Forward?

In the rapidly evolving field of artificial intelligence, the integration of Large Language Models (LLMs) with Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) represents a significant leap forward. This combination promises to address some of the inherent limitations of LLMs while enhancing their capabilities in generating more accurate and contextually relevant responses.

The power of Large Language Models = LLM

Large Language Models, like OpenAI's GPT-4, have demonstrated impressive abilities in natural language processing tasks, from generating human-like text to understanding complex queries. These models, trained on vast amounts of data, can produce coherent and contextually appropriate responses across a wide range of topics. However, they are not without their shortcomings. One primary limitation is their reliance on the data they were trained on, which may not always be up-to-date or comprehensive.

The contextual role of Retrieval-Augmented Generation

Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) fetches relevant information from external databases or documents : the context. This approach ensures that the generated content is not only based on the pre-existing knowledge within the LLM but is also enriched with the most current and specific information available. Essentially, RAG acts as a bridge between the static knowledge of LLMs and the dynamic, ever-growing body of information in an organisation/context.

Benefits of combining LLMs with RAG

1. Enhanced accuracy and relevance: By leveraging real-time information retrieval, LLM+RAG systems can produce responses that are more accurate and relevant to the user's query. This is particularly valuable in fields where information is rapidly changing, such as technology, medicine, and current events, customer information, product development,.....
2. Reduced hallucination: LLMs sometimes generate plausible-sounding but incorrect information, a phenomenon known as "hallucination." RAG mitigates this risk by requesting responses with verifiable sources, thus improving the reliability of the output.
3. Improved user experience: The integration of RAG with LLMs can lead to a more interactive and responsive user experience. Users benefit from not only the generative capabilities of LLMs but also the precision and specificity that comes from real-time information retrieval.
4. Scalability and flexibility: This hybrid approach is highly scalable and can be adapted to various applications and industries. From customer support chatbots to advanced research assistants, LLM+RAG systems can be tailored to meet specific needs and deliver superior performance.

Challenges and Considerations

While the LLM+RAG combination could be the way forward, it is not without challenges. Integrating retrieval mechanisms with language models requires sophisticated engineering to ensure seamless interaction and response generation. Additionally, the quality of the retrieved information is contingent on the sources used, necessitating robust methods for source evaluation and filtering.

Therefore we come back to some basic principles :

• have a sound data strategy and implementation to start with as an organisation
• start step by step and experiment. Focus on low hanging fruit; There are many AI tools already available that can drastically improve efficiency.

do share your view?