Bridging the Knowledge Gap: Using Generative AI on AWS to Preserve Critical Expertise

This article describes how manufacturers can use generative AI on AWS to preserve institutional knowledge and improve operational efficiency by building AI-powered knowledge management systems.

• Manufacturing faces critical skills gap with 2.69 million positions opening due to retirements
• Georgia-Pacific built ChatGP, an AI assistant using Amazon Bedrock to capture expert knowledge
• Solution records experienced workers' expertise and converts it to searchable documentation
• Operators access troubleshooting guidance via chatbot interface in seconds, not hours
• System combines historical knowledge with real-time machine sensor data for accurate advice
• Architecture uses Amazon S3 for storage, Amazon Transcribe for speech-to-text conversion
• Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) provides contextual responses to operator queries
• Reduces troubleshooting time from hours to seconds and accelerates new employee onboarding

The solution demonstrates how AI-powered knowledge hubs help manufacturers preserve tribal knowledge, reduce downtime, and lower operational costs while enabling faster problem resolution.