Create knowledge content for GenAI

Overview

We recommend you write content that is consumable by AI but still understandable for humans. Bridge any doubt by writing conten that would be suitable for a new, onboarding colleague. If you are already a content writer, you know how to do this.

Follow these guidelines to create and maintain knowledge that effectively supports generative AI and ensures accurate, relevant, and user-friendly content.

• Scope your content: Focus on one topic per article to improve navigation and visibility. 
• Structure your content: Use headings and logical organization to make content clear. 
• Balance human and AI tendencies: Write detailed content for AI but keep it simple for humans. 
• Use examples: Include scenarios to clarify content. 
• Use media annotations: Add text descriptions to multimedia for AI understanding. 
• Address common questions: Write FAQs to address frequent queries. 
• Perform regular audits: Review and update content regularly. 
• Relevant content and natural language: Mirror customer queries and provide context. 
• Understand AI limitations: Clarify terminology and acronyms. 

Scope your content 

Create articles that cover one single topic or issue rather than multiple problems. This approach improves the management of security and visibility and makes it easier for users to navigate. Over time, content effectiveness is facilitated by measuring which specific articles are frequently used. 

If you are unsure where to naturally scope topics, use the following value statements as an exercise: 

• Why should the user read this article? 
• How will the user benefit from this information? 
• What is the expected outcome from reading this article? 

Structure your content 

AI thrives on structured content such as logically related sentences, paragraphs, and lists. Utilize content structure like heading tags (H1, H2...) or a question / answer format to indicate hierarchical relationships and organize knowledge articles with content type and layout in mind. Logically separate internal information by department and away from customer-facing content, to ensure that the right audience receives appropriate information. 

Balance human and AI tendencies 

Writing content that is consumable by AI and still understandable for humans is easier said than done. Humans generally have short attention spans and prefer brief, simple language. This can be at odds with generative AI, which performs best with thorough and detailed information.

To help balance your content:

• Provide detailed explanations and include common synonyms and abbreviations to help the AI understand different concepts.
• Use formatting to achieve balance when writing content suitable for both AI and human consumption. 
• Use fewer headings and keep articles short and brief. 
• Break long pages into several shorter ones and include a value statement or summary to clarify why the reader should use the content and how they will benefit.
• Document human experience and life context to address potential context gaps. 
• Author content with a novice, inexperienced reader in mind. AI will always take what is written as literally as possible, and AI does not have any of the tacit knowledge your users may possess.

Use examples 

Incorporate conversational scenarios to help AI interpret the relevance of user queries. Describing typical user situations enhances understanding and aligns the content with the customer’s perspective. 

Example: If explaining how to reset a password, include a scenario where a user forgot their password and needs to reset it using their email address. 

Use media annotations 

While images and videos are beneficial for humans, AI requires textual annotations. Use text to explain multimedia content, and leverage alt tags for annotations to enhance accessibility for screen readers. 

Example: If you have a screenshot of a Settings page, include an alt tag like "Screenshot of the Settings page highlighting the password reset option." 

Address common questions 

Most AI prompts come in the form of questions. Writing FAQs that address specific questions and issues aids both generative and non-generative use-cases. Focus on the most common customer questions to build foundational knowledge hat acts as a quick reference for users and help ensure that the knowledge remains comprehensive and useful. 

Example: 

• Question: How do I reset my password? 
• Answer: Click on "Forgot Password" on the login page and follow the instructions sent to your email. 

Perform regular audits 

Knowledge is practice, not a once-off effort. Regularly review and update the knowledge to ensure accuracy. Utilize tools like Salesforce Flow and Lightning Feedback to manage review cycles and gather user feedback. This keeps the relevancy of knowledge at the forefront and assures that only the most relevant information is available for consumption.

Example: Schedule monthly reviews of the most accessed articles to check for outdated information and make necessary updates. 

Relevant content and natural language 

Enhance content with natural language that mirrors customer queries, and refine prompts to be concise yet outcome-specific. Providing context within content explains its usefulness and ensures contextual relevance. Using conversational, outcome-driven language that mimics how customers ask questions enhances user engagement. 

Example: Instead of "How can I access offshore accounts?" use "What types of offshore accounts can I have?" and provide detailed options and context. 

Understand AI limitations 

Recognize potential challenges when the same terminology is used in different contexts across your content. Adjust your wording to enhance clarity. The impact of capitalization on response accuracy should be considered, as it indicates proper nouns, starts sentences, and denotes acronyms. Correct use ensures clarity and precision in responses. 

Example: Differentiate between "Registering" (creating an account) and "Servicing" (maintaining an account) to avoid confusion.