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What is a Knowledgebot?
"Natural language processing" (NLP) in products like Apple Siri, Amazon Echo, and Google
Home let you to talk to your car, phone, or digital assistant and have that device understand
what you are saying. In addition, it is what allows that device to answer back. Such voice
user interfaces (or VUIs) are becoming a prominent, if not the dominant means of efficiently
interacting with computers and devices of all sorts.
The term "knowledgebot" refers to an NLP-powered chatbot ("bot") intended for use by
knowledge workers needing access to a particular set of information and processes in order
to get their work done.
In many ways, knowledgebots are the successor to (or at least a significant complement
of) the enterprise intranet. If an intranet is a modern-day bulletin board, where seekers scan
the contents looking for what they need, then a knowledgebot is a concierge that will find the
information sought and deliver it to them.
What can a knowledgebot do?
A few real-world examples of what a knowledgebot can accomplish are:
• Book a visiting office at another firm location
• Get the current NDA, waiver letter, term sheet template, or other standard template
• Obtain the correct billing rate for an attorney, paralegal, or other timekeeper
• Get a copy of the firm's charitable giving policy via email
• Find colleagues who have worked on matters for a particular client
Anatomy of a
Knowledgebot
B Y M A R K G E R O W