Knowledge management uncovers the context AI needs
AI promised to transform how enterprises find, use, and act on knowledge. So why are most organizations still struggling to see results? The answer isn't the model, it's the missing context layer beneath it.
Knowledge management professionals have long understood what AI is now making obvious: information without structure, ownership, and meaning is just noise. When AI tools try to reason over unstructured, ungoverned content, they produce inconsistent answers, erode user trust, and stall in production.
KMWorld recently held a webinar, The Context-First Enterprise: Why Knowledge Management Is the Foundation AI Has Been Missing, with Aleks Cardwell, director of product marketing at M-Files, who explored why context, not just data, is the true foundation for enterprise AI that actually works.
According to Cardwell, every enterprise is investing in AI but very few are getting the results they were promised. Answers are inconsistent, teams don't trust what AI returns, and pilots that looked transformational stall in production.
The real problem isn’t the AI but the content underneath it, he explained. Every enterprise has a system of record for financial data, customer data, and people data. However, almost none have one for unstructured content.
Document management matters now more than ever because it provides access control, version control, workflow control, and captures inputs and outputs. However, organizations need more than just document management. Context is key to effective AI.
Context is the foundation for the guidelines and rules of the road AI needs to execute its given task, Cardwell said. Without context, you will never be an AI-powered business AI can’t recognize intent or be trusted without surrounding human knowledge.
M-Files makes your business AI-ready by adding the context and governance AI needs to deliver trusted, safe, and scalable results, Cardwell recommended.
Enterprises need to make the shift to:
- Context-driven document management
- An enterprise knowledge graph
- Governed, trustworthy AI at scale
- Policy-governed AI with auditable access
For the full webinar, featuring a more in-depth discussion, Q&A, and more, you can view an archived version of the webinar here.