Knowledge Management in the era of AI  

Knowledge Management in the era of AI

by Ron Young, Chief Knowledge and AI Officer, Knowledge Associates

July 11th 2024

I have recently been asked to continue to be a part of the International Standards Organization (ISO) Standards Development Team that is reviewing the ISO 30401:2018 Knowledge Management System Standard that was published in November 2018. For all ISO Standards, there is a requirement to review and update as a result of market feedback and key changes that may affect an International Knowledge Management Standard.  

I am also a member of the ISO 56001 Innovation Management System Standard development which is expected to be published in the Autumn 2024. Recently I joined the ISO 42001:2023 Artificial Intelligence Management System Standard development. This AI Standard has aready gained a huge international interest and following, and which is also engaged with ensuring the role of responsible AI. This intention and requirement is in alignment with the legislation of the EU AI Act:2024 and National Government policy around the world, such as the US Executive Order and NIST Risk Management Framework, and the UK Pro-Innovation approach, as some leading examples. This has given me a more holistic view of human and machine knowledge, innovation and intelligence.

I am very grateful to be a part of these ISO standard development and review teams, which are based on representatives from national standards bodies, in my case the British Standards Institution (BSI), and I applaud the ISO principle of 'consensus' across all participating national standards bodies. All members share their knowledge and experiences on a voluntary basis and develop shared international understandings. That way, we can all better trust in the  ISO consultative process that will reach out to as many stakeholders and interested parties as it can. It provides transparency and a rigorous well proven process to define principles and requirements, that will help us all to strive towards organisational excellence. 

But consensus, of necessity, comes at a cost. Consensus ensures, at least, a reliable base level of operation and by its very nature, is less likely to represent more dynamic thought leadership and innovation which, by its very nature, is more risky and less proven. Today, I argue that the global knowledge and AI driven economy needs a new type of thought leadership, combining both intellectual and intuitive knowledge, new knowledge competencies and skills, knowledge asset management, dynamic knowledge platforms and successful human and digital transformation.

Here is my personal view. 

I believe that Artificial Intelligence will have a very major and fundamental impact on future discussions on our understanding of knowledge and knowledge representation, and the development of more powerful KM strategies, methods and tools. I am convinced that we are experiencing the start of a turbulent knowledge transition and the development of a new global knowledge philosophy and knowledge economics.  I see AI as the key driver for a radically new and improved generation of knowledge management, based on new types of digital knowledge representation, and I believe that this will cause the resultant demise of several traditional and operational knowledge management functions that are driven by people today. Finally, I am very hopeful that this new generation of knowledge management will create great new opportunities to develop even more sophisticated and higher level human knowledge management professionals, democratise knowledge globally, and provide unique, customised personal education for all on the planet. This is provided that they are given the skills and tools to connect, communicate, collaborate, learn, innovate and co-create in these new ways. I see AI as the potential to greatly empower humanity - as long as we responsibly regulate and mitigate the risks of misuse of this tremendous new power.

But I stress that this is my personal view and broadly the organisational view of Knowledge Associates. There are equally strong and entirely opposite beliefs that AI is a fad, over-hyped, an existential threat to humanity, and at best, AI is simply a tool or technology that may support KM as we practice it today.

Therefore, I suggest that we must realise that the ISO and International Standards, obviously, and of necessity, must not express such radical or extreme views, of course, but seek different perspectives to debate and ultimately achieve consensus, where possible, to move forward across the national standards bodies, volunteer experts, stakeholders and interested parties.

So this series of blog posts will be written and added here on a monthly basis, from July to December 2024, to enable me to share my thoughts, and those of Knowledge Associates only, on knowledge, knowledge management, knowledge retention, human learning, knowledge and intelligence, and what is now referred to as digital or machine learning, machine knowledge representation, and artificial intelligence.  

I will start the next post with my take on 'knowledge'. Knowledge is fundamental to everything for which we think, decide and act, and is understood quite differently around the world today, from deep religious, cultural, philosophical and organisational perspectives.  I will argue that it is impossible to agree a global definition of knowledge because of this,.

But we may be able to reach an acceptable and common set of inclusive and shared principles and values, as a basis for developing a higher quality of personal knowledge, and more trusted and collaborative team and communities knowledge, and more collective knowledge networks for organisations.

As always, I would welcome your perspectives and comments on this. 

Contact me, as below, with your thoughts or for more information.

Ron Young