Was the web good for knowledge management?

So, yes, the web enables everyone with an internet connection and the freedom to use it to contribute to our new, global, contentious, and contradictory knowledge space. But I did not foresee the dark side because of an optimism born of privilege.

The flip side of generative AI: Extractive AI

Extractive AI takes a more comprehensive and transparent approach to machine intelligence.

Should we go back to paper-based KM?

The sheer volume of largely useless data we have accumulated across the years severely limits the ability of AI to work well, and it comes at a heavy environmental and financial cost.

The five ages of data

Perhaps this latest phase in the history of data will bring us to accept inexplicable complexity as a property of the world. We could view this as pure chaos, but thanks to having lived through the past four ages in rapid succession, we might instead recognize that chaos as being rich with endless mysteries we will never uncover completely.

8 billion and counting

The message is clear: No single person or committee or group can weave the best paths through the infinite maze of possible event chains. Only humans and machines working together, side by side, can produce a better result than would ever be possible from either one alone.

The trust problem with GenAI

2023 has been the year of ultra-hyping GenAI, and who is paying for this deluge of marketing? Technology vendors that want us to buy it. Again, it's impressive stuff, but when we shift from selling to buying and ultimately using it, many tough questions need to be asked.

Truth, lies, and large language models

The good news is that the problem of chat AI's proclivity for hallucinating is well-recognized by the organizations creating these marvels, and they realize that it is a danger to the world and to their success, not necessarily in that order of priority. Until that problem is solved, chat AI engines need to lose their self-confidence and make it crystal clear that they are the most unabashed and charming liars the world has ever seen.

The fun side of future tech

Everything about the future doesn't have to be so frightening or serious. Instead, let's take a break from all of that and look at the fun side of what lies ahead.

When is good enough enough?

Our goal should be to improve the quality of knowledge assets and their accuracy and relevance in use. Much of this will come from human expertise and effort, increasingly combined with the power of AI.

What are your chatbot’s pronouns?

We don't have pronouns by which we can address inanimate objects because we haven't had any occasions to have actual conversations with them.

Are you data-driven or knowledge-driven?

We no longer need to blindly accept the output of even the most sophisticated AI/ML platforms. In fact, we should not consider any artifact, whether produced by humans or machines, as valid knowledge unless it contains not only supporting data and analyses, including provenance, but also an explanation of the underlying plausibility.

Get your game on: KM skills needed for reliable use of LLMs

There is no questioning that generative AI is here to stay, but its use in mission-critical work has some way to go before it can be trusted and let loose.

The ChatGPT ways of knowledge

These two types of knowing—understanding the world and understanding knowledge—are, in some important ways, at odds in AI-based chatbots.

Extraordinary times demand extraordinary leadership

The emergence of hybrid work environments post-COVID has resulted in the accelerated introduction of technologies and methods that increasingly enable the adaptive, democratic enterprise.

The evolution of the KM technology stack

Historically, KM managers have tried to centralize knowledge assets into a single KM platform and curate within it. But outside of a few niche use cases, this has not been feasible for many years. Combining few KM human resources and an increasing data deluge makes it impractical. That is not to say we don't have the tools and resources to manage knowledge assets effectively; rather, we need to recognize corporate realities, be open to innovation, and embrace radical change.

Tags, AI, and dimensions

Tags have become so common that they've faded from consciousness since 2007, although sometimes a clever hashtag pops up.

Look to the skies for KM opportunities

Then there's the inevitable demand for more automation, from the flight planning and clearance process to the operation of the air vehicles themselves. No human or group of humans could possibly keep track of so many constantly changing variables

AI technologies upending traditional KM

If we are not careful and proactive about it, the concept and importance of knowledge itself may soon become blurred or lost.

AI’s new type of knowledge

This way of knowing works pragmatically for some very complex systems of the sort we find in the real world. But, oddly, itseems not to work so well in some artificially simple systems.

Return on … Infrastructure???

As our physical and IT infrastructure continues to grow in size, complexity, and vulnerability, people and the knowledge they possess will play an ever-increasing role.