RNAi is a mechanism involved in gene silencing, the process that turns on and off genes. To do that, it is triggered by double-stranded RNA (dsRNA).
The enzyme "dicer" cuts dsRNA into smaller fragments called (a) small interfering RNA. Once these fragments are cleaved, they bind to argonaut proteins and activate the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC). This complex targets and degrades (a) specific messenger RNA (mRNA). By degrading the mRNA, this process interrupts the gene expression.