Everyone is talking about AI Agents and RAG, but they are not the same thing. Here's the breakdown:
- RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation): Your AI retrieves the right information exactly when it needs it. No hallucinations, always up-to-date. It knows things.
- AI Agent: It plans, decides, uses tools, sends emails, calls APIs, runs code. It doesn't just answer — it acts. It does things.
- Agentic RAG: The 2025 combo. An agent that uses RAG as an internal tool. It knows things AND does things.
If you're building anything with AI in 2025, you need to understand this difference.
"RAG retrieves; an agent acts. Agentic RAG does both."