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Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) › RAG vs Fine-Tuning

How does RAG vs Fine-Tuning work

Beginner

Answer

RAG is often faster to update since it just requires changing the external knowledge source, while fine tuning requires retraining the model itself whenever the underlying knowledge changes.
Real-world example A company chooses RAG over fine tuning so it can update its chatbot's knowledge simply by updating documents, without retraining the entire model.

Common follow-ups: What is Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG), How is RAG vs Fine-Tuning evaluated in practice, What tools are commonly used for RAG vs Fine-Tuning