A.I. and Knowledge Management - Level 3 - "AI Redefines the Conversation" [3 Part Series]
Education
Introduction
In this final installment of our series on the relationship between Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Knowledge Management (KM), we delve into Level 3, a stage of this relationship poised to drive transformational change in how we work. This stage represents a significant evolution similar to the impact of Google going mainstream in the early 2000s—a moment when knowledge became readily accessible to everyone, marking an irreversible change in the landscape of information sharing.
The Transformational Potential of Level 3
To grasp the profound changes anticipated at Level 3 of the AI and KM relationship, consider the historical implications when Google made knowledge universally available and free in near real-time. There’s a strong argument that we are approaching another pivotal moment as AI systems elevate KM practices.
Revisiting the Story of Ellie
In our earlier discussions, we introduced Ellie, a client manager in a green tech company, who utilized AI to streamline her preparation for a client meeting. AI helped her gather explicit knowledge from various sources within her organization, resulting in a marked increase in productivity as Ellie crafted a presentation.
Now, let's fast forward to the moments immediately following that meeting. Currently, knowledge management practices face challenges in capturing the nuanced insights and tacit knowledge exchanged during client interactions. Although diligent client managers may write post-meeting reports to share insights, these reports often miss subtleties and observational nuances crucial for converting tacit knowledge into explicit forms.
Collaborative spaces, like communities of practice (CoPs), provide better avenues for knowledge exchange and interaction. However, engagement hinges on individuals proactively sharing their insights—a practice not easily scalable. Over time, a CoP can become overwhelmed with excessive information, making it hard for members to discern what is valuable.
A New Approach with AI
Imagine this scenario: As Ellie reflects on her client meeting, her AI Avatar, whom we'll call Mikey, prompts her for insights without the arduous task of drafting a report. Mikey employs adaptive learning techniques, tailoring its questions based on Ellie’s responses.
For instance, Mikey greets Ellie and inquires about the meeting's success, which leads to an interactive dialogue. Ellie rates the meeting highly and shares substantive insights, such as the presence of key stakeholders and the potential for major strategic developments. Mikey is thus capable of efficiently capturing this tacit knowledge in real-time.
Furthermore, Mikey can pull relevant information from its expansive database, offering insights from previous interactions with other employees. If Ellie wishes to know about any of her colleagues’ engagements with a specific company, Mikey can provide that contextual information, scheduling calls or sharing reports as desired.
This instantaneous, context-aware capturing and sharing of knowledge represents a revolutionary shift—ideal for organizational efficiency—becoming impossible to achieve through human efforts alone.
The Role of Knowledge Managers
The proliferation of AI avatars introduces an exciting evolution for knowledge management roles. As we observed the transformational effects of AI on community managers, we now foresee the emergence of a new role: the AI Avatar Knowledge Manager.
This position will center around overseeing AI avatars’ knowledge-gathering functions and ensuring that the information captured is leveraged effectively for all employees, catering to their diverse needs.
As we think about this new paradigm, it becomes increasingly apparent that the synergy between AI and KM is a formidable force poised to reshape how we conduct our work.
Keywords
- Artificial Intelligence
- Knowledge Management
- Transformational Change
- Adaptive Learning
- Tacit Knowledge
- Explicit Knowledge
- Community of Practice
- AI Avatar Knowledge Manager
FAQ
Q1: What is Level 3 of the AI and Knowledge Management relationship?
A1: Level 3 signifies a transformational shift where AI systems work seamlessly with Knowledge Management practices, enhancing the capture and sharing of both tacit and explicit knowledge.
Q2: Who is Ellie in the context of this article?
A2: Ellie is a client manager in a green tech company who utilizes AI to prepare for client meetings and share insights afterward.
Q3: How does the AI Avatar enhance knowledge sharing?
A3: The AI Avatar, like Mikey, engages users in adaptive conversations that efficiently capture and share knowledge, providing context and relevance that traditional methods cannot achieve.
Q4: What new role emerges with the advancement of AI in Knowledge Management?
A4: The AI Avatar Knowledge Manager emerges as a new skillset focused on managing AI systems and the knowledge they gather, ensuring a smooth flow of valuable information across the organization.
Q5: What challenges exist in current knowledge management techniques?
A5: Current techniques struggle with capturing nuanced insights and rely heavily on human-written reports, which often fail to convey the richness of tacit knowledge shared during interactions.
