AEO
Answer extraction
Answer extraction is the traceable selection of a bounded passage from an identified source because that passage directly supports a declared question.
What it means
In extractive question answering research, the output is selected from spans in an evidence document rather than freely generated. A publisher-side workflow must retain the exact source version, passage offsets or stable boundary, question, selection method and necessary surrounding context. An external provider's private extraction or retrieval trace remains unknown unless the provider discloses it.
Why it matters
Provenance and context make a selected passage auditable while preventing observed answer text from being misreported as proof of an internal provider process.
Example
AYSA selects sentences 4–5 from a dated returns policy for “When is a refund issued?”, stores the policy URL and version, and adds the preceding eligibility condition because the passage would otherwise mislead.
Common mistakes
Do not call paraphrasing extraction, omit source boundaries, strip decisive context, infer hidden provider spans, extract from stale copies, confuse textual overlap with causation or present the passage as legal certification.
How AYSA handles this
Signals reviewed
question, source URL, source version, passage boundary, selection method, adjacent context, attribution, review status
Problem AYSA can identify
AYSA can identify missing provenance, unstable passage boundaries, context loss, stale sources and extracted text presented as a private provider trace.
Recommendation prepared
The workflow stores a source-bound extraction record and proposes any context required for a non-misleading answer.
Approval preview
The reviewer sees the exact passage, source version, boundary, adjacent context, method and prohibited provider-internal inference.
Execution
AYSA can create approved extracts from authorized sources; it cannot expose an external provider's private retrieval or extraction process.
Verification
A later check resolves the stored boundary against the source version and flags drift instead of silently selecting new text.
Limits
Provenance supports audit but does not prove causation, and logs or review do not automatically certify AI Act or legal compliance.
Sources and further reading
- Learning Recurrent Span Representations for Extractive Question Answering — Original academic research
- W3C — PROV Overview — W3C provenance standard
- NIST — Artificial Intelligence Risk Management Framework: Generative AI Profile — Official risk-management framework
- European Commission — AI Act Article 50 transparency guidelines — Official European Commission guidance
Written by Marius Dosinescu. Reviewed by AYSA SEO Editorial Team · 2026-07-28 00:00:00.
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
Is a paraphrased answer an extraction?
Not under this contract. Extraction selects a bounded source passage; rewriting or generation are separate transformations.
Can text overlap reveal a provider's extraction process?
No. Similar text does not disclose private retrieval, span selection or generation traces.
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