What Should We Train AI On?

So, you’ve got an AI assistant. Great. Now the million-dollar question:

What do we actually train it on?

This is the part that makes most people stall out. Either they go full firehose and upload everything (including the kitchen sink) or they overthink it and freeze entirely.

You don’t need a perfect knowledge base. You need a useful one. And chances are, you already have everything you need.

Why Internal Knowledge Still Wins

Let’s start here: internal knowledge is gold.

Not blog posts. Not ChatGPT summaries. Your actual documents. The ones your team relies on every day.

When your assistant is trained on your real-world materials, it answers with your voice, your policies, and your process. It stops making things up, and starts becoming the support teammate you hoped for in the first place.

This isn’t just about better answers. It’s about trust, consistency, and making sure the tech actually works for your team.

Start With This:

Think of this like your assistant’s first-day onboarding folder. You don’t need everything, but you do need the right things. Here's what makes a great training set:

• Help center articles and FAQs
  These are usually your most structured, clear responses.

• Agent or member onboarding guides
  The “how to get started” stuff is pure gold for AI.

• Internal policies or staff manuals
  If it’s something your team checks regularly, include it.

• Benefits breakdowns
  Summarized, not salesy.

• Support scripts or common email replies
  Your best responses, already written.

• Workflow guides and how-tos
  Step-by-step = searchable gold.

• Training slide decks or transcripts
  Especially when they cover repeat questions or process walkthroughs.

• Compliance or legal reference docs
  When they're cleaned up and explained in human terms.
  

What to Skip (At Least for Now):

There are some things that just don’t help your assistant and might even make it worse.

• Long-form marketing brochures
  Too vague, too fluffy, and not usually what people are asking.

• Unstructured meeting notes
  Rambling, inconsistent, and confusing to parse.

• AI-generated content (yep)
  Don’t train AI with AI. Use your human-made stuff.

• Random spreadsheets or raw data files
  If it needs context to make sense, it’s not helpful on its own.

• Anything your team wouldn’t actually trust
  That’s the litmus test.
  

If it’s outdated, confusing, or full of disclaimers, leave it out.

How to Keep It Clean and Useful

You don’t need a mountain of data. You need clarity. Here’s how to make your training set work smarter:

• Organize by topic
  Group docs into categories like “Rules,” “Benefits,” “Onboarding,” “Support,” etc.

• Label clearly
  “FAQ_Updated_2024” beats “doc.final.v3.REALLYFINAL.pdf.” Or if you are extra like me, always name your file with the date created…

• Clean out the clutter
  If you don’t want your newest employee using it, don’t give it to your assistant.

• Stay lean to start
  Starting small makes it easier to test and refine.

• Make regular updates
  The feedback loop with your members will help define your document refreshes, leading to better service and members who feel heard.
  

The Bottom Line?

Your assistant’s performance depends on what you feed it. Train it with the documents your team already uses. Keep it clean, clear, and aligned with your day-to-day.

Up Next: AI vs Chatbot: A Tell-All

Not all bots are created equal. Next week, we’re breaking down the difference between real AI assistants and the rule-based chatbots that give automation a bad name. If your team’s been burned by tech that talks in circles, you’ll want to read this one.