How do you craft a great AI knowledge base?

Bill Doerrfeld | November 24, 2025

How do you build a knowledge base for AI agents?

Excited to share my latest for InfoWorld, which explores what goes into creating a solid AI agent knowledge base — from the types of data it should contain to the retrieval mechanisms and architecture patterns that support reliable agentic behavior.


Shared context becomes especially important once you introduce multiple agents into a workflow. So this piece digs into structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data sources, how vector search, graph traversal, and RAG-style retrieval fit in, and why designing the right knowledge graph or abstraction layer matters.


The biggest hurdle? Keeping the knowledge fresh. "Freshness, or lack thereof, is the silent killer of AI knowledge systems," says AJ Sunder.


This is a fascinating and fast-emerging area of agentic AI, and it’s interesting to see early patterns — especially around design and architecture — begin to take shape.


Check it out and, as always, feel free to let me know what you think. Also, if you would like to be featured in one of my articles, I'm always looking for new voices to connect with! Consider signing up to my newsletter, Under The Byline for feature opportunities.


As we fall deeper into the agentic AI rabbit hole, what should I explore next?

Read: Anatomy of an AI agent knowledge base

Other Blog Posts

By Bill Doerrfeld July 7, 2026
Big surprise: it's way easier to generate new code with AI than to reuse old code. But what are the long-term effects?
By Bill Doerrfeld June 25, 2026
Agentic coding tools have become the default. "When we've taken that away accidentally from people, they scream."
By Bill Doerrfeld June 17, 2026
My latest for LeadDev considers how engineering leaders should respond in the wake of uncertainty in the AI model market.
By Bill Doerrfeld June 10, 2026
I'm working with Zuplo on some new content around their MCP Gateway release. First up: a deep comparison of MCP gateways on the market!
By Bill Doerrfeld June 10, 2026
The constant barrage of AI layoffs is overshadowing the economic reasons behind these cuts, as well as the net-positive talent redistribution happening at large.
By Bill Doerrfeld June 8, 2026
My latest for InfoWorld reviews MCP servers and agent-ready tools for connecting AI agents with popular database styles.
By Bill Doerrfeld May 29, 2026
For my latest DirectorPlus edition, Joel Carusone from NinjaOne shares how engineering leaders can build the muscle for making tough calls.
Close-up of a glowing laptop keyboard in blue light, viewed at an angle with the screen above
By Bill Doerrfeld May 25, 2026
My latest InfoWorld feature explores how Model Context Protocol (MCP) supports context engineering for AI-assisted coding.
A set of metal keys on a keyring resting on a wooden surface.
By Bill Doerrfeld May 22, 2026
My latest for Nordic APIs explores 10 API key security risks and what to use alongside keys for stronger API security.
By Bill Doerrfeld May 18, 2026
The yearly API conference, apidays New York, is a hotbed for solid discussion on what's top of mind in the API space, and as MC I had a front row seat.