What is difference between Vertex Vector Search and Vertex Vector AI search

Vertex AI Search and Vector Search are related but represent different levels of abstraction within the Google Cloud ecosystem for building AI-powered search and retrieval solutions.

Vector Search refers to the underlying technology and managed service for performing efficient similarity searches on large datasets of vector embeddings.

It is a core component that powers various applications requiring semantic understanding, such as recommendation engines, semantic search, content discovery, and more.

Vector Search provides the infrastructure for storing, indexing, and querying vector embeddings, which are numerical representations of data (text, images, audio, etc.) that capture their meaning or context.

Developers can directly interact with Vector Search to build custom applications that leverage vector similarity search.

Vertex AI Search is a higher-level, out-of-the-box solution built on top of Google's search technologies, including Vector Search.

It provides a comprehensive platform for building enterprise-grade search engines with features like retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), automatic embedding fine-tuning, and connectors to various data sources.

Vertex AI Search simplifies the process of creating and deploying search experiences, offering a more managed and integrated approach compared to building a solution from scratch using raw Vector Search.

It aims to provide Google-quality search capabilities for websites, applications, and internal knowledge bases, often incorporating generative AI features for more intelligent responses.

In essence, Vector Search is a fundamental building block, a highly performant vector database service, while Vertex AI Search is a complete, managed solution that utilizes Vector Search and other Google technologies to deliver ready-to-use search capabilities for enterprises. Developers can choose to use Vector Search directly for highly customized or niche use cases, or opt for Vertex AI Search for a more streamlined and feature-rich search engine experience.

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