arXiv:2603.19281cs.CLcs.AI2026-03被引 4

首个评估RAG模型不确定性的基准,揭示其可靠性与检索质量的深层关系。

URAG: A Benchmark for Uncertainty Quantification in Retrieval-Augmented Large Language Models

  • 将开放生成转为选择题,用校准预测量化不确定性。
  • 复杂推理管道反而不如简单模块化方法,且噪声下性能骤降。
  • 适用于医疗、编程等多领域,帮助开发者选型与优化模型可信度。

检索增强生成(RAG)已成为提升大语言模型在需大量事实知识场景中表现的主流方法。然而,现有RAG评估主要关注正确性,未能充分反映检索对模型不确定性与可靠性的影响。为此,我们提出URAG,一个涵盖医疗、编程、科学、数学和通用文本等多个领域的综合性基准,用于评估RAG系统的不确定性。通过将开放式生成任务重构为多选题问答,URAG支持基于分位数预测的严格不确定性量化。我们在8种标准RAG方法上应用该评估流程,采用LAC和APS指标衡量准确率与预测集大小。分析表明:(1)准确率提升通常伴随不确定性降低,但检索噪声会破坏此关系;(2)简单模块化方法在准确率-不确定性权衡上优于复杂推理流水线;(3)无单一方法在所有领域都可靠。此外,(4)检索深度、参数知识依赖及置信度提示可能放大错误自信与幻觉。最终,URAG建立了系统性框架,用于分析与提升检索增强系统的可信度。代码已开源。

原文摘要 · Abstract (English)

Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) has emerged as a widely adopted approach for enhancing LLMs in scenarios that demand extensive factual knowledge. However, current RAG evaluations concentrate primarily on correctness, which may not fully capture the impact of retrieval on LLM uncertainty and reliability. To bridge this gap, we introduce URAG, a comprehensive benchmark designed to assess the uncertainty of RAG systems across various fields like healthcare, programming, science, math, and general text. By reformulating open-ended generation tasks into multiple-choice question answering, URAG allows for principled uncertainty quantification via conformal prediction. We apply the evaluation pipeline to 8 standard RAG methods, measuring their performance through both accuracy and prediction-set sizes based on LAC and APS metrics. Our analysis shows that (1) accuracy gains often coincide with reduced uncertainty, but this relationship breaks under retrieval noise; (2) simple modular RAG methods tend to offer better accuracy-uncertainty trade-offs than more complex reasoning pipelines; and (3) no single RAG approach is universally reliable across domains. We further show that (4) retrieval depth, parametric knowledge dependence, and exposure to confidence cues can amplify confident errors and hallucinations. Ultimately, URAG establishes a systematic benchmark for analyzing and enhancing the trustworthiness of retrieval-augmented systems. Our code is available on GitHub.

RAG不确定性基准测试可信度

Thank you to arXiv for use of its open access interoperability. PaperDance 不是 arXiv 官方产品;中文卡片由大模型生成,请以原文为准。