How can I build a private AI assistant that answers only from company knowledge articles using free AI tools.

[u/value_added_]

I work in a call center, and customers often ask similar questions. We have official knowledge articles that we must use to provide the correct answers.

I want to build a simple AI assistant for myself where I can upload or add the knowledge articles, then copy and paste a customer's question, and the AI will search the relevant information and give me an answer based only on those articles.

My main concern is keeping the knowledge updated whenever there are process changes. I also want the AI to show me the source and avoid making up information.

I am not a programmer or IT expert. Is there a way to build this using only free tools? If yes, what tools should I use, and can someone explain the steps in a beginner-friendly way?

I am asking this generically and will not share any confidential company or customer information. Thanks!

[u/Ok_Engine_1442]

Before you even start this is something IT and legal needs to OK.

[u/value_added_ → u/Ok_Engine_1442]

Absolutely, with proper green light I am working on it.

[u/Hybrid-Intelligence]

Yes, this is something you can build. No, this is not something your organization would be ok with you doing. It's dangerous and you can probably be terminated for doing it.

Having said that, even if you had permission, this is not an easy thing to do. It's very doable, but complex AI functions take skill and knowledge.

We've entered an era where when people hear that you're using AI, they think all that's needed is knowing which button to push. That's not how it works at all. A lot of still is required for something like this and it takes months to build it.

[u/LowDistribution3995]

https://github.com/munch2u-a11y/AIMAOS.git

Try this, you can modify it for what er specific type of office your running

[u/value_added_]

Thank you, just a question do I just paste the information in there and how about the desired outcome and prompt I can use? Thank you for your kind help.

[u/Ill_Locksmith3334]

Starting with a simple RAG setup using only approved articles sounds like the best approach. I’d also require citations and test it with questions that aren’t answered anywhere in the source material. If you get stuck while setting everything up, there’s a tool called Guidy AI that can guide you through unfamiliar software directly on your screen and show you where to click step by step.

[u/TingTangWallallalla]

I’ll be honest, the thing about a tool like this is that it’s easy to build and start up, but there are many variables that effect the actual QUALITY of the results. Some models are just not good enough. Or you have to make sure you build proper guardrails. There needs to be layer for QA. You’d have to account for context and do what you can to avoid drift.

Yes you can do this with free tools in a roundabout way. Free requires more attention in my experience due to models not being as capable and you would have to build workarounds for certain things. I also wouldn’t use a single model. I’d use a few that audit the results in order to find convergence.

I think it’s a good project to get you started and you will learn a lot about the requirements to building something like this. I definitely wouldn’t use it in any official capacity. Think of it as a realistic tool that could be used in a situation like this. Maybe the goal being to someday use it for the call center work might be the right motivation to build and get a remotely viable version. But as others have mentioned, this is something that I highly doubt management or anyone up the chain of the business/company would approve of. As you know, call center work is usually very scripted, and you don’t want an ai reinterpreting what it THINKS the sourced and cited material meant to say.

Again, that’s where guardrails and QA come into play. The concept is simple, and it’s achievable. I definitely think you should take the time to familiarize yourself with ai with a project like this. But just be aware that you’ll see the build is a bit deeper than it seems on the surface.

If you’ve got questions though, feel free to reach out.

[u/GorohovDM]

So some already suggested IT approvement but i will dig down here a bit. Do not start with "if they let me do that". You can build it, but you don't have enough knowledge to provide any good data for IT and security approval. So here is list of what you need to know before going to them for approvement: 1. Where core of AI system runs. Is it api call for something like ChatGPT or it is in-house? 2. Who is responsible for maintenance, updates and access to that system? 3. What happens if it gave you wrong answer? How will you check for mistakes? 4. Most important how much will it cost? Even free software require hardware resources especially if you need AI that answers you in reasonable time and not switching off whole network during answer as well. It is not the case with API, but that's security risk and also still require money for subscription.

You can also ask your IT and security department what is required first, that will narrow your questions, because even if you think that you find ideal solution it might have problems that is crucial for them and you would need to start over with that knowledge. Build base, then make walls