# A knowledge base for an AI assistant

[VION Labs](https://vion-labs-v24.priontekai.chatgpt.site/en/news/knowledge-base-for-ai-assistant)

Design a document collection for a company AI assistant, from source ownership and access permissions to retrieval and evidence that readers can verify.

2026-11-03 · VION Labs

An employee asks who approves a new project. The shared folder may hold the current policy, last year’s edition and a draft. A precise quote from the wrong edition can still lead to the wrong action.

## Give sources an owner and a status

Before connecting documents, identify who owns each source, its status and where it applies. A policy needs a revision, while a technical instruction may depend on a device or software version. Mark drafts and archived editions so retrieval can select the appropriate material.

## Preserve context and permissions

When splitting a document, retain its section heading, page and original link. A paragraph can change meaning without its heading. Apply access rules during retrieval so the model receives only passages the requesting employee is allowed to read.

## Show where an answer comes from

A response should link to the exact passage that supports it. If two current sources conflict, show the difference and ask for clarification. If the collection contains no relevant policy, say that the available material does not settle the question.

## Test a revision end to end

Include paraphrased questions, unanswerable requests and restricted sections in the test set. Replace a policy, rerun the questions and follow the links. This exposes stale passages, incorrect permissions and references that still point to the previous edition.