Structured content: a backbone for AI success

When we first shared PDF files online instead of printing them decades ago, did accuracy in those PDF files improve with the shift from print to digital? And when we later published that same content as web pages, did old information become current because of the shiny new delivery format?

Nope! When content is inaccurate and outdated, using the latest front-end technology to share that information doesn’t fix those fundamental deficiencies.

The same thing applies to AI: if you dump inaccurate and outdated content into a large language model (LLM), it will regurgitate the same bad, useless information. Sure, the LLM may remix the information and summarize it in a way that seems authoritative. But the content remains wrong. 

The bedrock of a successful AI implementation is correct content. Yet so many organizations still can’t get accurate information to their customers and staff through the front-end distribution channels that existed before AI-enabled chatbots and the like. 

Content creators require repeatable processes to develop and maintain useful, accurate content. Therefore, it’s critical to examine how your organization’s content is created, updated, and archived at the source level (the back end) before it even hits all the front-end distribution channels. 

To do a quick test on the quality of your back-end content processes, answer a question: Are you doing a lot of copy-and-paste? If you are, your content back end is insufficient to support any front-end delivery channel—including AI solutions.

How can you eliminate the inefficiencies of copy-and-paste and improve your back-end content operations? Consider structured content workflows, which check all the boxes for success:

• Improved content quality and consistency across all distribution channels
• Easier content reuse
• Better content governance and compliance management
• Enhanced accessibility
• Reduced costs for translation and localization
• Future-proofing content for new technologies, including AI (and front-end channels that don’t exist yet)

Structured content is one framework that can sustain a useful, trustworthy AI experience. Without strong content back-end support, your AI front end is doomed to spout bad information that angers your customers and prospects, slows down your staff, and causes reputational harm to your organization—or worse.

How can structured content support your AI initiatives? Contact us to learn more.