The Great Library of Alexandria was one of the wonders of the ancient world. It was a monumental effort to gather, catalogue, and centralise the entirety of human knowledge. Its purpose was to create a single source of truth, a "brain" that could be consulted by scholars and leaders to make informed decisions. Today, every organisation has its own "library"—decades of reports, manuals, and data—but it is often scattered and inaccessible. A modern technology, Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), is finally making the dream of Alexandria a reality for business.
This article will explain how RAG technology transforms your entire body of corporate knowledge into a single, intelligent, and conversational resource.
Most organisations' knowledge bases are like a library with no catalogue and no librarian. Critical information is locked away in thousands of documents, spread across disconnected servers and individual hard drives. Employees waste countless hours searching for information, and valuable insights from past projects are lost, leading to repeated mistakes. Standard search tools can find documents, but they cannot read, understand, or synthesise the knowledge within them.
The power of the Library of Alexandria was not just in the scrolls it held, but in the fact that it held them together. By bringing the world's knowledge into a single, organised location, it created an unprecedented engine for innovation and problem-solving. It was founded on the principle that centralised, accessible knowledge is the foundation of intelligent decision-making.
At MPX, our Technology pillar is focused on creating this same strategic advantage for our clients. We use Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) to build a powerful AI agent that acts as your company's digital librarian and expert.
The process is simple but transformative:
Ingestion
The system reads and indexes your entire library of documents—from technical manuals to project reports—creating a secure, private knowledge base.
Retrieval
When a user asks a question, the AI first searches this private database to find the most relevant information.
Augmented Generation
It then provides this relevant information to a large language model, instructing it to generate a concise, accurate answer based only on your company's documents.
The result is an AI that can answer complex, company-specific questions with precision, acting as an expert that has read and understood every document your organisation has ever produced.
To get the most out of a RAG system, your data needs to be prepared.
Consolidate Your Scrolls
Identify and gather all critical knowledge sources. The more comprehensive the data set, the "smarter" your AI will be.
Ensure Readability
Prioritise machine-readable formats like text-based PDFs and Word documents over scanned, image-based files. An AI can only read what is legible.
Establish a Curation Process
Appoint a "librarian"—a team or individual responsible for curating the knowledge base, removing outdated information, and ensuring new documents are added.
RAG technology is more than a search tool; it is the modern realisation of the Alexandrian dream. By creating a central, intelligent "brain" for your organisation, it empowers your team with instant access to your collective knowledge, driving faster decisions, greater efficiency, and a powerful competitive advantage.
To see how an MPX AI agent can be tailored to your organisation's unique knowledge base, contact us to schedule a consultation.
