Retrieval-Augmented Generation for Web Archives: A Comparative Study of WARC-GPT and a Custom Pipeline
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Large Language Models (LLMs) are reshaping digital preservation and access in libraries, but their limitations (hallucinations, opacity, and resource demands) remain significant. Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) offers a promising mitigation strategy by grounding LLM outputs used in specific digital collections. This article compares the performance of WARC-GPTs default RAG implementation with unfiltered WARC files from Archi Io ve-It against a custom-built RAG solution utilizing optimization strategies in both modelling and data (WARC) preprocessing. Tested on a collection of thousands of archived pages from the Bob’s Burgers fan wiki, the study analyzes trade-offs in preprocessing, embedding strategies, retrieval accuracy, and system responsiveness. Findings suggest that while WARC-GPT lowers barriers to experimentation, custom RAG pipelines offer substantial improvements for institutions with the technical capacity to implement them, especially in terms of data quality, efficiency, and trustworthiness.
Author: Corey Davis
Language: English
Topic: Topic Modeling
Subfield: Artificial Intelligence
Field: Computer Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7124516819
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