I am a scientist
When I started my journey as a knowledge management consultant, I knew that my biggest challenges would be around the sales and marketing aspecst of the job. Throughout my corporate career, I was happy to not be directly involved in either of those activities, and maybe even a little intimidated by the folks who knew how to do those kinds of things.
I decided I would approach the sales and marketing aspect with two principles in mind:
Be authentic
Be a scientist
Number one should be pretty obvious to folks who know me: I’m not interested in presenting myself as a grinder, spouting buzzwords, running endless cold-calling sales campaigns, or being the ABC (Always Be Closing) guy.
Number two is maybe less obvious. But it just means that I treat my sales and marketing efforts as experiments; try something new and see if it works. Get a little outside my comfort zone, but always within the boundaries of #1.
This newsletter started off with an experiment, and I continue to try different things with it. I’m consistently trying different things with my social media strategy – for example, I’m dipping my toes into video posts. I’m entering calls for submissions to speak at conferences. I’m sponsoring a portion of Benchmark Portal’s Call Center Campus. And so on …
One experiment that is bearing fruit: going on podcasts. Later this week, the full-length episode of my appearance on Cloud Tech Gurus’ Contact Center Journeys will drop. Definitely watch and let me know what you think.
Some other appearances coming up: On September 18, I’ll be speaking at the Association For Talent Development Austin’s Q3 Chapter Meeting, and on October 18 I’ll be hosting a webinar that will examine the brave new world of AI-infused knowledge management (stay tuned for more info on that).
And like any scientist, I am curious. Am I missing anything? Is there something I should be trying? Let me know!
And now, on to the KM News of the Week:
When Chatbots Go Rogue
I came across a story last week that serves as a crucial reminder for all of us working with AI in customer support. Security researchers discovered a significant flaw in Lenovo's customer service chatbot, "Lena." With a cleverly crafted 400-character prompt, they were able to trick the bot into revealing sensitive internal information. The vulnerability could have allowed attackers to hijack live chat sessions and access customer data.
This is a real wake-up call. While we're all excited about the potential of AI to improve customer experience, this story underscores the critical importance of security. It's not just about what bots can do, but also what they can be tricked into doing. It's a must-read for anyone implementing or managing customer-facing AI.
The Rise of "Shadow AI" and How to Manage It
Cloudflare just wrapped up their "AI Week," and one of the big themes was the growing challenge of "Shadow AI." This is the unauthorized use of AI tools by employees within an organization. While it's great that teams are eager to adopt new technologies to be more productive, it also introduces a whole new set of security risks.
Cloudflare announced new tools to help organizations get a handle on this, allowing them to detect unauthorized AI usage and establish a list of approved, secure tools. It's a proactive approach to a problem that's only going to get bigger.
I’m fond of saying that AI is the ultimate knowledge management tool. Cloudflare’s announcement is a good reminder for knowledge management leaders to be at the forefront of this conversation, guiding teams toward secure and effective AI solutions.
The Real-World Impact of AI on Knowledge Management
It’s easy to get lost in the buzz around AI, but I found a great piece from monday.com that cuts through the noise and gets to the practical benefits for knowledge management. They break down how AI is already transforming the way we work, from AI-powered search engines that understand what we mean (not just what we type) to intelligent chatbots that provide instant, 24/7 support.
The article also highlights the operational efficiencies of AI, like automated document tagging and content summarization. It's a great overview of the tangible ways AI is helping us build smarter, faster, and more effective knowledge bases. If you're looking for a clear-eyed view of how AI is impacting our field right now, this is a great read to share with your team.
