06-05-2025
Beyond The AI Gold Rush: Building Value Through Information Quality
Stéphane Donzé is the Founder and CEO of AODocs, with more than 20 years of experience in the enterprise content management industry.
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Across industries, companies are racing to integrate AI-powered chatbots and assistants into their operations. If it feels to you like a gold rush, you may have a point. The potential for AI to enhance productivity, streamline workflows and drive competitive advantage is undeniable. However, many organizations make a critical mistake: They rush to deploy AI without first addressing the quality of the information feeding it.
AI chatbots are exceptionally good at finding and presenting information in natural language. But they cannot distinguish between valid, up-to-date content and outdated, obsolete or even incorrect information. This creates a significant business risk, as AI can confidently deliver wrong answers with absolute certainty, leading to costly mistakes.
A recent Tow Center study tested eight AI generative search tools and found the chatbots were confidently wrong over 60% of the time when citing information. At the same time, these systems rarely expressed uncertainty. Unlike traditional search engines that guide users to sources, AI tools repackage information, potentially spreading wrong data or insights. Testing also showed premium services sometimes performed worse than free ones.
Now imagine this happening six out of 10 times when your business relies on a chatbot to fetch critical information from your database. The AI bonanza could quickly turn into a business nightmare.
The risks of uncontrolled and bad document management practices
Traditional search tools present users with a list of relevant results, allowing them to manually assess which document is the most reliable. AI chatbots, on the other hand, provide direct answers—which means users may not even realize there could be multiple sources, some of which may be outdated or inaccurate.
Take a pre-AI scenario: A sales rep searching for "product XYZ pricing" in a document management system would see multiple results, such as:
• "Price List - 2025"
• "Special Promotion - Christmas 2023"
• "LATAM Pricing - 2022 (EXPIRED DO NOT USE)"
With a traditional search, the rep can choose the most relevant document. But with an AI chatbot, the rep asks, "What's the price for XYZ?" and the chatbot delivers a single confident answer, potentially pulling from the wrong source. If companies fail to implement proper governance, AI can exacerbate document management challenges, rather than solve them.
The risk: The gold rush technology leads you down the wrong pit. Instead of emerging from the mine rich, you might get trapped. That is, unless you have a map that leads you to where the precious stuff can be safely sourced.
A smarter approach: Start small with AI and scale strategically
Organizations that succeed with AI don't deploy chatbots indiscriminately across their entire knowledge base. Instead, they take a controlled, step-by-step approach:
1. Start with trusted content. Begin AI deployments with structured, validated repositories, such as internal knowledge bases, approved sales materials and official customer-facing documentation.
2. Implement strong metadata and governance. Ensure AI chatbots only access the latest approved documents by leveraging metadata tags like "valid," "obsolete" or "draft."
3. Pilot AI in a controlled environment. Run initial deployments in a limited-use case, such as answering HR policy questions or retrieving technical manuals, before expanding to broader content sets.
4. Monitor AI outputs and improve continuously. Use feedback loops to refine responses, flag incorrect sources and continuously enhance AI accuracy and reliability.
The competitive advantage of a thoughtful AI rollout
Companies that take a measured approach to AI adoption—prioritizing quality over quantity when selecting their initial document sets—will outperform those that flood AI with unstructured data. A well-governed AI chatbot can be an invaluable tool for IT leaders, business unit heads and employees, enhancing productivity and decision-making without compromising accuracy or compliance.
AI is here to stay, but its success depends on how well it is fed, structured and governed. The smartest companies will recognize that starting small and scaling smart is the key to unlocking AI's full potential—without introducing costly business risks.
So, there you have it: To hit AI gold with document management, make sure you're on the right track by walking slowly—at first—and on even ground. Set up the signage and follow the trails you charted until you feel more confident and bold.
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