RAG Chatbot
Client: Conceptual Academy
Conceptual Academy, an independent science textbook publisher, faced significant market pressure from the proliferation of consumer AI tools like ChatGPT. With students increasingly turning to generic AI platforms for assistance, the education space has been ripe for disruption. Rather than resist this technological shift, Conceptual Academy recognized an opportunity to integrate AI directly into their educational platform—but with a crucial difference. They needed a solution that would leverage their proprietary content to provide accurate, curriculum-aligned assistance that generic AI platforms couldn't match, creating a powerful market differentiator in the educational publishing landscape.
Delphi Intelligence developed Alia, a sophisticated RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) architecture that intelligently connects students with precise content from their textbooks. The system begins with intelligent routing that determines when retrieval is necessary—distinguishing between general knowledge questions and course-specific inquiries. For curriculum-related questions, Alia leverages Google's Vertex AI Vector Search to retrieve relevant sections and figures from textbooks, complete with page citations. This architecture extends to practice assessments, where a separate retrieval pathway accesses the publisher's test bank to generate curriculum-aligned multiple-choice questions. Two versions of Alia were created for Physics and Chemistry textbooks, with the Physics version already deployed to university students.
The implementation of Alia has transformed Conceptual Academy's educational offering and market position. Unlike generic AI platforms that produce verbose, unfocused responses, Alia communicates concisely and pedagogically—engaging students like an experienced teacher would. The system's ability to cite specific textbook pages and interpret complex scientific figures provides students with authoritative, curriculum-specific guidance while reinforcing the value of Conceptual Academy's core content. Most notably, Alia has received exceptional feedback from Physics teachers and professors, including those who were initially skeptical about AI in education. By embracing AI technology while leveraging their proprietary content, Conceptual Academy has successfully repositioned itself as an innovative leader in educational publishing, creating a compelling sales argument for institutions seeking comprehensive, technology-enhanced learning solutions for science education.
