KMWorld 2018 Puts Sharp Focus on AI, Machine Learning, and Collaboration

Shannon Hildenbrand, international taxonomy lead; Alice Wallace, taxonomy analyst; and Andrew Childress, taxonomy analyst, also offered insights on how Indeed.com organizes its database during their session, “Classification and Communication: Taxonomy Case Studies at Indeed.” Indeed’s latest project initiative, which is a natural language processing tool, was created by cross-cultural and remote collaboration between taxonomists, developers, and the Texas and Tokyo offices. The most important part of the project was explaining it, or “show and tell,” Childress said. Keeping the feedback loop open and constantly revisiting the status quo can keep a project moving, he added.

KM vets Kim Glover, director, knowledge management and social learning, TechnipFMC, and Scott Leeb, engagement director, Iknow, LLC, shared their wisdom about KM strategies, practices, failures, and more during their “Ask the Experts” session at KMWorld 2018

“It’s really an existential challenge as to whether KM will exist in 5, 10, 15 years,” Glover said. It is imperative that KM experts show value to HR teams and allow them to experience what KM can do for a business, Glover said.

AI and Machine Learning

With AI and machine learning omnipresent in any discussions about the future of data and jobs, Daniel W. Rasmus, founder and principal analyst at Serious Insights, noted that the “robot takeover” is still a long way off during his session, “Rethinking KM for an Age of AI & IoT.”

As machines get better at sensing the environment, comprehending content, interpreting signals, and anticipating needs, there will still remain a need for a human element, Rasmus said.

“Human intent of the system is key,” Rasmus emphasized. Not a lot of AI is making independent decisions and when we call on autonomous technologies, they have a difficult time on their own, he noted.

As humans learn to work with machines, Dan Pontefract, head, learning & collaboration, TELUS, and author of "FLAT ARMY: Creating a Connected and Engaged Organization," lamented that attention spans are getting shorter, creating a culture of “knowledge mismanagement.”

With the proliferation of “always-on” culture, workers are stressed more than ever before, leading to 77% of employees being distracted at work, Pontefract explained.

He proposed a return to balance between the three components of productive thought—dreaming, deciding, and doing—combining creative, critical, and applied thinking.

“You need to be able to pause and ‘marinate’ in the moment,” Pontefract said.