Concept from "Agentic Reasoning" Survey (Pages 18-19)
Agentic RAG transforms retrieval from static to dynamic and intelligent:
- Traditional RAG: Single-shot retrieval → generation (fixed pipeline)
- Agentic RAG: Dynamic decisions on WHEN, WHAT, and HOW to retrieve
- Iterative Refinement: Query reformulation based on retrieved results
- Relevance Critique: Evaluate and filter retrieved documents before generation
"Unlike traditional RAG that performs fixed one-shot retrieval, agentic RAG agents dynamically control when, what, and how to retrieve based on real-time reasoning needs."