RAG & Search
Bi-encoder
An AI setup that prepares two pieces of information separately before comparing them.
Example
A search service prepares the question and each document separately before comparing them.
Why people use it
It speeds up large searches by doing some document preparation before a question arrives.
What you'll hear
“Can we prepare the documents before people search?”
What this means for you
Check whether the faster comparisons still find the details your task needs.
Can you control it?
Developer-only
The people building or running the AI choose this setup. An everyday user generally needs their help to change how this part works.
Common questions
- What happens when a stored document changes?
- Its prepared description may need updating so comparisons reflect the new version.
- Can documents be prepared before the question exists?
- Yes. Stored numerical descriptions can be compared with a question that arrives later.
- What does this speed trade away?
- Separately processing the question and document can miss details that become clearer when they are read together.