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Transcript

Empowering Students to Shape Tomorrow's AI

Structured approaches to AI knowledge bases in business communication

Instead of positioning students as mere users, why not empower them to become AI builders?

That was the question I asked a few weeks ago at this years annual conference for the Association of Business Communication.

In my presentation, I delved into the concept of structured knowledge bases in AI and their potential for reshaping writing and business communication classes.

I thought … why not share this with my cyborgs writing friends. Below is a brief summary, but the entire presentation is available to watch in the above video.

Unpacking Structured Knowledge in AI

The presentation opens with a discussion on why structured knowledge is increasingly critical in AI applications. With platforms like ChatGPT and Claude enabling users to upload their documents, AI’s utility for personalized content creation has soared.

But, as many of you know, AI systems bring inherent challenges, including hallucinations, bias, and reliability issues – challenges that scale up with larger, unstructured data sets. This is where structured knowledge bases, a familiar tool in technical and business writing, come in as a solution. By organizing and categorizing content effectively, we can mitigate some of these issues, making AI a more reliable partner.

One key takeaway is how structuring knowledge for AI isn’t just a technical exercise; it’s a critical skill for students, particularly in content-related fields. I share a humorous example from Lufthansa’s chatbot, which, without structured data, mistook a request for a passenger receipt for an inquiry on urn transfers.

Such instances underscore why teaching students to structure content – distinguishing between contexts and categories – can enhance AI's accuracy and relevance. By engaging students in creating knowledge frameworks, from book review chatbots to local student hangout guides, they not only learn about AI’s inner workings but also gain valuable skills in data organization and contextual awareness.

Why This Matters

For educators, content creators, and tech writers, the shift from AI user to builder reflects a broader trend: as AI becomes more embedded in our work, understanding its backend – even at a basic level – becomes a competitive edge.

This presentation demonstrates how structuring prompts and content can significantly improve AI’s output quality, making it a powerful tool tailored to our specific needs and expertise. And for students, this hands-on experience not only clarifies how AI workds but also equips them with skills highly relevant in today’s job market.

I invite you to watch the full video to see these ideas in action and explore how we can all think more critically about organizing our knowledge for AI.

I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments here on Substack.

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