Agentic RAG + LLM System: Build or Buy?

AI Research and Knowledge Assistant — ​Alani.ai​

In recent months, we’ve seen a surge in articles and tutorials on Medium about building sophisticated AI research tools. These systems, often combining Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) with Large Language Models (LLMs) and multi-agent approaches, promise to revolutionize how we process and analyze large volumes of information.

The Appeal of Building Your Own AI Research Tool

The allure of creating a custom AI research assistant is undeniable. Imagine a system that can:

1. Ingest various file types seamlessly
2. Extract and categorize key information
3. Perform deep, contextual searches across vast document stores
4. Generate insightful summaries and reports

Many engineers and data scientists are drawn to the challenge of constructing such a system, leveraging cutting-edge technologies like:

• Unstructured API for data ingestion
• Vector embeddings for efficient information retrieval
• Multiple specialized AI agents for diverse tasks
• Custom tools for generation and analysis

The potential benefits are significant: deeper research insights, enhanced efficiency, and improved…