Article 2025

Making tacit knowledge explicit: Generative AI's role in enhancing apprenticeship systems

Intelligent Decision Technologies
Journal
Abstract

This study investigates the role of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) in enhancing Apprenticeship Systems (ASs) by transforming Tacit Knowledge (TK) into Explicit Knowledge (EK), thereby improving Knowledge Transfer (KT) efficiency. A controlled experiment was conducted with 50 novice live-stream hosts, divided into the Experimental Group (EG) and the Control Group (CG). The EG used to train tools augmented with AI, while the CG used traditional methods. The experimental design included competency tests in seven areas, including on-camera presence, communication skills, and learning ability, and the use of statistical methods to compare the performance results of the two groups. The results established a significant improvement within the EG. The resultant indicators for expressiveness in shots (85 vs. 70), verbal expression (88 vs. 72), and learning capacity (86 vs. 71) exhibited statistically significant differences (p-values < 0.01). These outcomes suggest that the utilization of AI tools effectively enhances the development of various competencies, accelerates learning, enhances adaptability, and provides instant corrective feedback. The study's implication includes the utilization of AI in apprenticeship models, which have the potential for higher scalability, preservation of crucial TK, and workforce development, especially in industries that require Experiential Learning (EL). © The Author(s) 2025

Keywords

Author Keywords

Knowledge transfer Experiential learning Tacit knowledge Generative Artificial Intelligence explicit knowledge

Index Keywords

Learning systems Apprentices Generative artificial intelligence Machine learning Knowledge management Knowledge transfer Control groups Experimental groups experiential learning Controlled experiment Statistical methods Competency tests Explicit knowledge Tacit knowledge Transfer efficiency
Author Affiliations
Department of Entrepreneurship, Yiwu Industrial & Commercial College, Yiwu, China
Department of Economics and Management, Yiwu Industrial & Commercial College, Yiwu, China
Funding & Acknowledgements
No funding information
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