AI can save manufacturers a lot of work. But how do you make sure a fluent answer is also accurate?
At the FBS meeting on 29 October, Peter shared ZeeBoer’s experiences with AI and product data. From our own AI marketer Sophie to making technical product knowledge accessible: the quality of your information makes the difference.
Summarising a customer conversation, searching product documentation or writing a first draft. These are manageable tasks that help manufacturers gain experience with AI. At ZeeBoer, we started in much the same way. Our AI marketer Sophie received company information, audience profiles and writing guidelines. Even so, things occasionally went wrong. Sophie once named a former customer as a current client. That led to a new instruction: always check customer examples against our current client page. Peter compared working with AI to supervising an intern. You explain the task, assess the result and provide feedback. This helps you discover where AI saves time and where your expertise remains essential.
For building product manufacturers, opportunities include identifying missing product characteristics, supporting technical customer service and preparing for sales conversations. But a collection of product sheets does not automatically make AI a construction expert. During the presentation, Peter shared an example in which AI incorrectly concluded from individual material classifications that a complete wall would provide sixty minutes of fire resistance. Such an answer sounds useful, even though it lacks supporting evidence. Product properties alone do not tell you which combination is suitable for a particular application. Define which sources AI may use, which combinations are permitted and which conditions apply. Missing information must remain clearly identifiable as missing. And an answer that affects a technical application needs checking by someone with the relevant expertise.
Your customers also use AI to find information and compare products. That makes it important to look beyond the tools themselves. Which knowledge do you want to make accessible? How reliable are your sources? And who checks the content when AI starts using it?
ZeeBoer helps you explore these questions through a strategic review. Together, we look at your product information, the knowledge within your organisation and your customers’ needs. Where are the opportunities, what needs attention first, and which initial step will deliver value? This gives you a clear direction for using AI and managing your product knowledge.
