As we move deeper into the digital age, the way we organize and retrieve information is evolving fast. At the center of this shift are custom taxonomies—systems businesses use to classify and organize data. Traditionally, building these taxonomies was a manual process, requiring human expertise to structure information in a way that made sense for the organization. But today, emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and natural language processing (NLP) are transforming how taxonomies are created, maintained and applied.

While these technologies offer powerful new capabilities, they also require a deeper understanding of AI to be used effectively.

At its core, a taxonomy is just a fancy way of organizing things into categories. A custom taxonomy takes that a step further by tailoring the structure to the specific needs of a business or organization. It helps companies manage massive amounts of data, making it easier to search for, retrieve and categorize information.

AI and machine learning are making it possible to create taxonomies faster, more accurately and with less manual effort. Traditionally, taxonomies were built by experts who would sift through data, identify key terms and relationships and organize them into a structured system. With AI, much of this process can be automated. However, just because you can, should you?

AI isn’t just about crunching numbers—it’s about understanding meaning. This is where NLP comes into play. It is the technology that helps machines understand and interpret human language. It’s essential for creating taxonomies because it allows AI to grasp the context behind words and phrases, making classification more accurate.

While AI and machine learning bring incredible power to the table, they’re not magic. To get the most out of these technologies, businesses need a solid understanding of how they work.

As AI, machine learning and NLP continue to evolve, we’re likely to see even more sophisticated taxonomies that can handle massive amounts of data with greater precision and personalization. But with all this power comes the responsibility to understand and manage these technologies properly. Businesses that invest in AI education and training will be better equipped to build taxonomies that not only organize their data effectively but also adapt to the changing needs of their users.

Emerging technologies are transforming the way custom taxonomies are created and managed. These tools offer faster, more accurate and adaptive taxonomies that can handle the ever-increasing volume of data businesses face today. But to truly harness the potential of AI, companies need a solid understanding of how these technologies work. By investing in AI expertise – and ensuring that human oversight is part of the process – businesses can create taxonomies that are not only efficient but also tailored to their unique needs.

Data Harmony is a fully customizable suite of software products designed to maximize precise and efficient information management and retrieval. Our suite includes tools for taxonomy and thesaurus construction, machine aided indexing, database management, information retrieval and explainable AI.

Melody K. Smith

Data Harmony is an award-winning semantic suite that leverages explainable AI.

Sponsored by Access Innovations, the intelligence and the technology behind world-class explainable AI solutions.