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August 16, 2024
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AI Knowledge Base: All You Need to Know (Top Buyer's Guide)

An AI knowledge base can significantly aid your support team in creating better customer experiences. However, it can only work if you choose the right software, which this guide will help you with. 

Artificial intelligence (AI) is here to stay — and so are AI-based knowledge bases. 

According to a recent report, the global marketplace for knowledge management systems grows every day and is projected to reach $2.1 trillion by 2030. 

In translation? More and more companies will use AI knowledge bases to generate relevant content and have access to accurate information. But you can’t do it without the right tool by your side.

How can you ensure you make the best decision? It’s all in this guide. 

Tune in to learn more about what an AI knowledge base is, the steps you should take to select the software, and the top ten options available on the market. 

What is an AI Knowledge Base?

An AI knowledge base is a centralized system that stores, organizes, and manages company data and information using artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms.

Since it’s more dynamic than traditional knowledge bases, it can respond to customer queries faster by providing accurate and relevant information to the user. 

As a result, AI knowledge bases increase customer satisfaction by enabling users to find the answer without human intervention and by using chatbots or other AI assistants. 

AI knowledge bases can take many forms:

  • FAQs (frequently asked questions)
  • PDFs
  • Word documents
  • Spreadsheets
  • Web portals
  • Help centers

But we’ll talk more about the types of knowledge bases in the next section…

What are the different types of AI knowledge base content?

In general, AI knowledge bases fall into one of these three categories: 

  • Structured: This type of AI knowledge base plays with information that you can organize and format, such as FAQs, user manuals, articles, and troubleshooting guides. Since it structures the information in a hierarchical way, when people search for information, the knowledge base will provide the most relevant piece of data. 
  • Unstructured: The opposite of structured, this type of knowledge base doesn’t organize information into specific categories and fields. And the data lacks a predefined structure. Think of customer emails, forum discussions, chat transcripts, social media interactions, etc. However, a good AI knowledge base can extract valuable insight from this data and put it to good use. 
  • Automated: Here, AI algorithms generate user-specific content and instant responses in real time via chatbots or other AI models. It’s also constantly learning, meaning that it updates and refines the content based on data analysis and user interactions. Moreover, it identifies common questions and uncovers potential knowledge gaps. 

Knowing the difference between the three will help you select the right one. However, before we get into that, let’s talk about how an AI knowledge base works. 

How Does an AI Knowledge Base Work?

Typically, a traditional knowledge base organizes and updates your content manually; you’ll also have to structure your content based on keywords and categories to retrieve the relevant information.

An AI knowledge base is just like that — but so much better. 

In translation, it automates knowledge management by using two key components: 

  • Natural language processing (NLP): This technology can interpret human language and understand the context of the inquiry, whether text or speech. 
  • Machine learning: The AI knowledge base uses ML algorithms to make predictions, identify patterns, and refine search results. Basically, it learns from data inputs and user interactions, which improves your decision-making. 

Both these technologies enhance your knowledge base’s performance and make it better. 

How? 

By interacting with your users. Whenever someone asks a question or wants to find something, the AI knowledge base learns from the interaction, feedback, or language nuances. 

As a result, it’s able to improve and provide even more accurate, relevant, and helpful responses in the future. 

But are there any benefits to faster response times? Let’s see. 

What are the Benefits of Using an AI-Powered Knowledge Base?

There are plenty of benefits to employing the power of AI in commerce. 

For instance, 9 in 10 organizations believe that AI gives them a competitive edge over their rivals. But it does more than that. Let’s take a look at the main advantages of using AI knowledge bases: 

  • Enables customer self-service: The most important benefit of an AI knowledge base is that it improves customer interactions and makes sure they have a consistent experience. However, it’s only possible if your clients can quickly access relevant information on their own and get relevant suggestions. 
  • Improves knowledge discovery: AI makes finding the right piece of info super easy. It understands what the users are searching for and can quickly provide them with the most relevant article, guide, etc. 
  • Boosts content quality: AI can fill knowledge gaps, meaning that it detects what’s missing from your database and suggests creating content, such as knowledge base articles, for a certain topic. Moreover, it can detect outdated content so you can create new content based on user feedback. 
  • Reduces operational costs: With an AI knowledge base, you reduce your expenses since your clients are satisfied with your customer support without having to trouble a customer services agent. Fewer tickets mean more free agents. 
  • Accelerates onboarding and training: Onboarding new employees will be a thousand times easier with an AI knowledge base. It stores all company information in a single place, so your new hires have access to all resources whenever they need them, which speeds up the training process. 

In general, AI-powered knowledge bases are important because they give you an advantage over your competitors, help you understand your users better, and take your customer support to higher levels. 

At this point, you might be interested in seeing your AI knowledge base options. 

Which is great, because we can show them to you in the next section. 

10 Top AI Knowledge Bases to Consider

This is probably the part you’re most excited about. We get it! 

Your business success depends on your choice. Will you make the right one? Or will you test a few options before deciding?

Let’s make it easier by going through our top ten best options. 

1. Guru

Guru is three things at once: a wiki, an intranet hub, and a knowledge base. Its main purpose is to centralize your essential information using the power of AI — and streamline file and data sharing. 

How does Guru work? It takes all of your company’s collective knowledge and creates a single source of truth. When your team needs something, they can just ask the AI and it’ll bring relevant and timely answers without them having to switch tools. 

Plus, Guru connects all your existing workflows and systems through robust integrations, such as Slack, Google Drive, Box, and GitHub — you name it, Guru has it. 

But we think this on-demand video will explain why Guru is better. 

Guru makes it easier for everyone in the company to access centralized knowledge,” is how one satisfied user puts it.

2. Slite

Slite is an AI-driven knowledge base that provides a single source of truth for all your company knowledge. And it helps your teams get the answers they need when they need them.

Source: G2

Having everything in one place is a great starting place [for] any documentation system, but being able to search with the Ask feature has been a dream.” 

Slite also has a flexible editor with plenty of formatting options, such as video, link, emoji, attachment, and quotes. With this tool, you can get your ideas across more easily and clearly. 

3. Tettra

Tettra is an AI knowledge base system that offers an organized repository of information for your scattered external or internal knowledge.

What people like about Tettra is its user-friendly UI: “The functions and layout are not complicated, allowing all team members to familiarize themselves with Tettra pretty rapidly.” 

Source: G2

In a nutshell, Tettra can answer your team’s repetitive questions in Slack, Microsoft Teams, and more. Which means you can onboard new hires faster. Tettra also has an advanced search functionality that provides instant answers in seconds to any user query. 

4. Korra

Korra is an AI-powered search engine and discovery platform that uses natural language processing to give direct answers to search results.

Source: Capterra

Korra is an end-to-end SaaS solution with advanced search and automation capabilities. You can effortlessly search for your files in any format through advanced NLP functionality. And get relevant information sourced only from your own content. 

The ease of setup to create a live search tool is fantastic. In less than 10 minutes, I was up and running with a series of video, PDF, and document-based content.

5. Capacity

Capacity offers a secure AI knowledge base that automates customer support with a self-service portal. 

Source: G2

If you are looking for a HelpDesk that can be intuitive AND easy to work with Capacity is your best bet. [...] The Capacity team is also so supportive in assisting when needed.” 

Capacity enables better knowledge sharing by storing all your information in a centralized repository. This tool also has an automated inquiry generator that provides expansive question coverage quickly, allowing your team to do its job better. 

6. Starmind

Starmind provides a smart AI-powered, real-time expertise directory for companies of all sizes.

What does it do, exactly? It analyzes the millions of data points your teams create daily, learns who knows what on which topic, and who can best solve the problem. 

Source: G2

But the best part is, it’s really good when you are a freshman in the company or if you are in [a] new position and want to know more information about your business.” 

This AI system also has StarGPT, a generative AI with built-in expert verification that allows companies to make better data-driven decisions and streamline their operations. 

7. Genesys

Genesys is a trusted contact center solution suitable for small, medium, and large enterprises.

Source: G2

With this AI tool, you can deliver personalized experiences that delight your customers, no matter where they are. It also simplifies how you connect and interact with your customers, automating their journeys and analyzing data to create the best outcomes. 

Everything works flawlessly and businesses can do their work rather than worrying about calls working or not, frequent call drops, etc.” 

8. Document360

Document360, an AI-native knowledge base, helps organizations create knowledge bases, API documentation, user manuals, wikis, etc.

Source: G2

The user interface is intuitive, simplifying the process for my team to create and manage content efficiently. The search functionality stands out for its ability to quickly surface what we’re looking for, regardless of our content volume.” 

In a nutshell, this tool streamlines collaboration through a visually appealing and intuitive dashboard that offers a complete view of your company info. It also has advanced analytics that dive into the crux of it and offer insight into customer behavior, engagement patterns, etc. 

9. Zendesk

Zendesk is a customer service platform at heart. But it also offers knowledge base software that helps support agents manage content directly from a centralized place. 

Source: G2

I like how it integrates email, chat, phone, social media, and self-service options in one unified agent workspace. It also has powerful features such as automation, reporting, and analytics that help me optimize my workflows.” 

With Zendesk, you can build, review, approve, and publish workflows with content blocks (text, images, and videos). They update automatically, so any change you make will appear instantly. 

10. Bloomfire

Bloomfire is AI-based knowledge management software that’s easily customizable and able to fit every business’s needs. 

This secure searchable hub helps teams find relevant information better and faster and removes repetitive questions, endless email threads, and constant interruptions. 

Source: G2

I really like its very good search capabilities that enable users to search for specific keywords within articles without fully entering the page.” 

Regardless of the location or role, every employee can quickly find and access content, empowering your teams and departments to collaborate better and always stay informed. 

How to Choose AI Knowledge Base Software

Did you know that approximately 4 in 10 organizations have plans to use AI in the future? No wonder — as we’ve seen earlier, AI has the potential to automate all of the workday’s boring, manual tasks. And improve the way businesses run their operations. 

But how do you choose the right AI knowledge base software? Super easy! By following this step-by-step guide. 

1. Consider its features

You probably think, “Well, an AI knowledge base should only have artificial intelligence. Right?” 

You’re not entirely wrong. But your chosen solution should offer more than a fancy AI search. 

A good AI knowledge base should have other technologies integrated into it, such as machine learning and NLP. This way, you can respond better to user queries, fill knowledge gaps, and boost customer satisfaction. 

Moreover, it should have a way to manage knowledge and organize it in a hierarchical manner. It makes retrieving information easier when someone performs a search query. 

But we can chat more about features later — stay tuned! 

2. Consider its integrations

Integrations are a super important aspect of an AI knowledge base. Why? 

Because integrating with your existing tools and workflows will enhance your overall productivity and collaboration. But it’ll also improve your data flow. 

This means that you’ll stop constantly switching between apps and disrupting your flow. Through integrations, you’ll get the answers you need directly in the tool you’re currently using.

Guru, for example, can integrate with most of the go-to tools on the market. 

It has search integrations with applications like Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Dropbox. But it can also integrate with tools to simplify your workflows, such as Workday, Rippling, Salesforce, and Asana. 

That’s not all — Guru also integrates with your human resources information systems like BambooHR, Sage, and HiBob. 

3. Look for security and privacy

An AI knowledge base deals with sensitive information. Naturally, it should have security and privacy protections in place that prevent unwanted cyberattacks or other incidents. 

These security best practices can involve data encryptions, permissions, and access controls, but also compliance with industry standards, such as GDPR or HIPAA.

When evaluating certain vendors, ask about how they plan on keeping your data safe. If they have no such plans in place, move on. Otherwise, you risk ruining your reputation. 

4. Consider the solution’s usability

If the AI knowledge base system is too hard to understand, it’s gonna hinder you. 

Imagine trying to simplify your workers’ lives, but instead, you only make them more complicated because they simply can’t understand what they’re doing. On the other hand, they might get a good grasp of it, but it takes waaay too long to get them there, costing you precious time that could’ve been better spent elsewhere. 

In conclusion, look for a tool with a user-friendly and intuitive interface that people can easily learn and use. This’ll help you create a more effective customer support practice. 

5. Make sure the solution is scalable

The last thing you need to do is ensure the AI knowledge base solution scales with your company. The tool you choose should handle large volumes of data like a pro as your organization grows. 

Scalability means the tool needs to adapt to your evolving needs, whether it’s handling more complex data, accommodating a larger audience, or integrating with other tools. 

And it must do so without compromising performance or response times. 

***

We mentioned features a little bit earlier; now’s the time to dive deeper into them. 

What Features Should You Look for in AI Knowledge Software?

There are a few features that AI knowledge software must include, such as: 

  • NLP capabilities: Your AI knowledge base should be able to interpret and understand user queries. This means it needs to extract meaning from text easily and support advanced language tasks, such as sentiment analysis and semantic search.
  • Advanced search: Look for tools that have an efficient search engine that retrieves information easily and understands user queries. For example, it should have features such as context-aware search, keyword matching, and relevance ranking. 
  • Machine learning algorithms: By using ML, your AI knowledge base software can identify patterns and generate recommendations that improve the overall accuracy and relevancy of the AI model. 
  • User feedback: To help AI improve its suggestions, the tool should have a way to collect user impressions and track interactions. As a result, you enhance the AI knowledge base’s performance and keep it updated.
  • Data structuring: Try to find solutions that have ways to structure, tag, and categorize your data, preferably logically and hierarchically. It makes finding relevant information easier. 

Over to you

So, we’ve gotta ask: which AI knowledge base are you gonna choose? 

There are so many good options that it’s impossible to settle on one. However, we hope that this guide will help you make the selection process easier to handle. 

And, well, fingers crossed you’re gonna choose Guru.🤞

Because it’s suuuch a good solution. It replaces your company wiki with an AI-driven knowledge platform that collects your accumulated knowledge in a single reliable source of truth. Whenever you need information, you can pull it out just like that! 

So, what do you say? Wanna give Guru a try? Then sign up here for free.

Key takeaways 🔑🥡🍕

How can I set up an AI knowledge base?

Generally, setting up your AI knowledge base requires careful planning and constant management. 

You’ll also have to curate your content by focusing on relevance, accuracy, and accessibility, so the system yields the best results. This means creating high-quality content that you’ll constantly update, as well as measuring performance metrics.

How much does an AI knowledge base cost?

It all depends on the vendor and the pricing plan they employ. Most of them have on-demand subscriptions, meaning that you’ll have to contact their sales teams to get custom pricing. 

Some might offer monthly and annual subscriptions, varying from $5 to $7,200 plans for large enterprises.

In addition, some have free trials, like Guru, while others offer free plans.

How does an AI knowledge base differ from a traditional one?

Here are some signs to spot the differences between AI knowledge bases from traditional knowledge bases

  • User experience — AI knowledge bases allow you to respond to user needs in real time. 
  • Relevancy — AI knowledge bases constantly update their content, keeping it relevant. 
  • Personalized self-service — Unlike traditional knowledge bases, the AI versions offer more personalized results through advanced search features.
  • Knowledge retrieval — An AI-based knowledge base will retrieve your information easily. 

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