Hi Philipp...
"also external content which can be made available in the vector store": What other content? We create site-level resources when we want the information to be available to everyone. Moodle offers many resources for doing this while maintaining control.
However, we create "knowledge bases" containing new content specifically for AI responses. In those cases, the source isn't displayed as a standard resource; it's used solely to generate answers. We did create vectors in these instances, but the results weren't great—I believe it was an implementation issue.
Yes, having all that content available might make the AI more precise via vector search, but that doesn't reflect the reality of Moodle. The first issue is, obviously, the risks associated with information access. The second is scope. In an educational context, you shouldn't answer a question about a definition using just *any* correct content; context is crucial. You might have two courses that discuss "numbers," but the way the topic is handled differs vastly between 10-year-olds and master's degree students. Consequently, the answer to "What is a number?" shouldn't be the same; it likely depends on the specific course. If a course doesn't actually cover the topic of numbers, should the AI answer the question at all? When answers are based on course material, I believe the response should rely exclusively on that course's content and always include a reference to the full source material.
We initially used keywords for searches, but wildcards and other strategies can be employed to find optimal results. That would offer the best of both worlds.
From a technical standpoint, adding more APIs to plugins makes maintenance increasingly complex. Sticking to current APIs makes life easier for developers. Furthermore, the same API could be used to implement a vector indexing layer to enhance search capabilities if needed—but as an optional feature, not a mandatory one.
Lots to talk about... that's great, I like this.
Saludos