Knowledge Profiles: Building AI-Ready Expertise for Research

In a recent blog post, Text-Based AI Verification, Justification & Reasoning Framework 2.0, I introduced a framework designed to improve how research, expertise, and AI interact. I also mentioned that I’d be sharing practical ways to put different parts of the framework into action. This blog post focuses on Knowledge Profiles, one of the most important pieces of the framework.

What Are Knowledge Profiles?

A Knowledge Profile (KP) is a collection of information that represents an expert’s way of thinking, including their background, experiences, and problem-solving approach. It allows AI to analyze information through the lens of a particular expert, making responses more thoughtful, informed, and realistic.

However, Knowledge Profiles aren’t just limited to experts in academic or research fields. They can be applied to a wide range of roles and disciplines, capturing the way different individuals think, analyze, and solve problems.

For example, a Knowledge Profile could represent:

• A basketball coach or athlete – Capturing their strategic thinking, training philosophies, and decision-making under pressure.

• A chef – Documenting their approach to flavors, techniques, and cultural influences in cooking.

• A historian – Providing a detailed perspective on historical events, research methodologies, and historiographical debates.

• A personal development coach – Offering insights on motivation, habit-building, and behavioral change.

• A legal expert – Breaking down how laws are interpreted, applied, and debated.

Unlike perspective prompting, where AI generates responses based on the logic of its pre-trained knowledge, a Knowledge Profile allows for a deeper, more customized way of thinking. This approach moves beyond general AI outputs and allows for a more refined, expert-driven, and context-aware analysis, making Knowledge Profiles an essential tool for anyone looking to customize AI responses with depth, expertise, and nuance.

How Are Knowledge Profiles Different from Personas?

While personas provide an approximation of how someone might think or behave, Knowledge Profiles offer something much more grounded—a way to capture real expertise that AI can use to reason through complex questions and research.

How to Build a Knowledge Profile

A Knowledge Profile isn’t limited to a spreadsheet—it can exist in multiple formats depending on how you want AI to process and absorb the information. The goal is to create something that’s:

• Easy to learn and easy to build and use

• Easy for AI to understand

• Organized so AI can pull useful insights

• Flexible enough to grow over time

Formats You Can Use

• Spreadsheets (.CSV, Excel, Google Sheets or Handwriting on Paper) – Best for organizing large amounts of expertise in a clear, labeled way.

• Text Documents (.TXT, .DOCX, PDF) – Great for easy uploads into AI models without requiring structured tables.

• Databases (SQL, JSON) – Best for more technical applications where AI needs to retrieve expertise dynamically.

What Goes Into a Knowledge Profile?

A Knowledge Profile captures important details that shape how an expert approaches questions, problems, and analysis. Some key areas to include:

Adding External Sources to Expand the Profile

To make a Knowledge Profile richer and more useful, you can add:

• YouTube transcripts (lectures, talks, interviews)

• Blog posts and articles (written by the expert)

• Books and research papers (key arguments and summaries)

• Case studies and reports (real-world examples of their work)

This makes the profile a living, evolving source of expertise that AI can reference when analyzing complex topics.

How to Use Knowledge Profiles in ChatGPT (or Any AI Model)

Uploading and Using a Knowledge Profile

1. Convert the Knowledge Profile into a readable format (spreadsheet, text file, or database entry).

2. Upload the file into ChatGPT (or any AI system that accepts file inputs).

3. Use clear instructions to tell AI how to interact with the Knowledge Profile.

How AI Should "Think" with Knowledge Profiles

A human doesn’t analyze a problem by only focusing on one part of their experience—they pull from multiple life experiences, knowledge, and perspectives at once. AI should do the same.

Example Prompt for ChatGPT Using a Knowledge Profile

"Analyze the following research study based on the expertise stored in the attached Knowledge Profile. Consider the expert’s background, cultural influences, publications, and professional experience. Provide a detailed evaluation, integrating insights from multiple knowledge areas."

This ensures AI isn’t just pulling random facts but instead thinking holistically, just like a real expert would.

Fine-Tuning Knowledge Profiles Like a Volume Knob

One of the biggest advantages of Knowledge Profiles is that you don’t have to use all of an expert’s background at once. Instead, you can adjust what AI focuses on by guiding it with prompts.

Example Prompts for Narrowing the Focus

• "Evaluate this research step based only on the Knowledge Profile’s experience in climate policy between 2015-2020."

• "Analyze this case study using only the Knowledge Profile’s background in ethical AI governance."

This allows researchers to:

• Focus on specific time periods, disciplines, or perspectives

• Fine-tune AI responses to make them more relevant

• Ensure accuracy without losing the depth of knowledge in the profile

Instead of treating AI like a one-size-fits-all tool, Knowledge Profiles give it a real knowledge base that can be adjusted based on the research needs.

Why This Approach Solves AI Token Limit Issues

One of the biggest challenges with AI is its token limits—if you overload it with too much information, it loses context. Knowledge Profiles solve this problem because:

• AI reads from an uploaded document instead of relying on a chat history.

• You can store expertise externally (in sheets, PDFs, or databases) and pull in only the needed parts.

• AI gets digestible, relevant knowledge instead of an overwhelming amount of raw text.

Final Thoughts: Knowledge Profiles as AI Brains

• Knowledge Profiles help AI think more like an expert, evaluating holistically instead of responding with isolated facts.

• They act as a bridge between human expertise and AI-driven analysis, making research more reliable and scalable.

• Unlike personas, which are rough approximations, Knowledge Profiles provide detailed, expert-level analysis that can be applied to real-world research.

• Researchers can adjust Knowledge Profiles like a volume knob, zooming in on specific expertise while keeping the full depth of knowledge intact.

This is the next evolution of AI-powered research—moving beyond basic AI responses to a knowledge-based system that is flexible, accurate, and adaptable.

If you need help implementing Knowledge Profiles, have questions, or want to explore their full potential, feel free to reach out. I’d be happy to help. You can reach me at aiframework@proton.me