Glossary: agentic, RAG, environments
This family groups the notions that describe where and how interpretive governance applies.
A single concept (canon, authority, evidence) does not deploy in the same way depending on whether a system is agentic or not, operates on the open web or in a closed environment, and relies (or not) on a RAG pipeline.
Each entry links to:
a canonical definition, a framework (if applicable), and related pages for applying governance on the correct surface.
Quick access
Terms in the “agentic, RAG, environments” family
Agentic
A system is called agentic when it goes beyond merely responding: it acts (tools, navigation, writing, execution, transactions) and produces effects in the digital world.
- Definition: Agentic
- Related page: Agentic: governing AI that acts
- Framework: Interpretive governance for AI agents (open web & closed environments)
Non-agentic systems
Generative systems that produce outputs without executing tooled actions (or with effects limited to the response), which modifies the risks and evidentiary obligations.
- Definition: Non-agentic systems
- Clarification: Non-agentic systems and interpretive governance
Open web vs closed environments
Two distinct surfaces: on the open web, truth is subject to neighborhood and exogenous signals; in a closed environment, truth depends on internal governance (corpus, access, evidence, journals).
- Framework: Interpretive governance for AI agents (open web & closed environments)
- Framework: Agentic risk matrix (open web & closed environments)
RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation)
Architecture where the response is conditioned by a retrieval. The main risk becomes: what is retrieved, how it is interpreted, and when a non-response is mandatory.
Enforceable response conditions
Explicit constraints that determine when a response is authorized (minimum evidence, inference perimeter, legitimate non-response). In agentic systems, these conditions become a security measure.
Identifier governance (disambiguation)
Mechanisms to prevent entity confusion (similar names, homonyms, mixed attributes), particularly when an agent combines multiple sources in a single decision cycle.
- Framework: Identifier governance: entity disambiguation
- Related definition: AI disambiguation
CTIC (cross-layer transactional coherence)
Extension targeting the coherence of dynamic variables (price, stock, delivery, promotions) between layers (canon, retrieval, response, execution), critical as soon as an agent acts or recommends.
Related frameworks and pages (recommended)
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