Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) Systems for Knowledge Management

Abstract

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Large Language Models (LLMs) have significantly transformed knowledge management by enabling intelligent, context-aware, and automated information access. However, standalone LLMs often suffer from limitations such as outdated knowledge, hallucinated responses, lack of domain-specific expertise, and limited transparency, reducing their reliability in enterprise and research applications. Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) has emerged as an effective solution by combining language models with external knowledge retrieval, allowing responses to be generated using up-to-date and relevant information. This study proposes a comprehensive Retrieval-Augmented Generation framework for intelligent knowledge management systems. The framework integrates document acquisition, preprocessing, semantic embedding generation, vector database indexing, document retrieval, prompt augmentation, LLM-based response generation, response validation, and continuous knowledge base updates. It supports diverse knowledge sources, including enterprise databases, technical documents, digital libraries, and research repositories, while incorporating sparse, dense, hybrid retrieval, and neural reranking techniques to improve retrieval accuracy. The proposed framework is evaluated using retrieval precision, recall, F1-score, response relevance, latency, grounding accuracy, and user satisfaction. Results demonstrate improved semantic understanding, reduced hallucinations, enhanced factual correctness, and real-time knowledge updates compared with conventional keyword-based knowledge management systems. The study also discusses future directions, including multimodal RAG, graph-enhanced retrieval, federated knowledge management, continual learning, and autonomous enterprise knowledge assistants, establishing RAG as a robust foundation for trustworthy and intelligent knowledge-driven AI systems.