This study aims to understand how the use of technology enhances the process of knowledge creation and transfer, in the duality of knowledge: knowledge “that” conveys in a deceased person, who transfers knowledge by arts, artefacts and symbols, the authors recognize in the role of Egyptian scribe; knowledge “how” relies on a living person, who shows abilities and skills to interpret facts and information, as an Egyptologist.
The present paper is a Real Impact Viewpoint Article based on the duality of knowledge “that” and “how.” Based on the SECI and BA framework, the authors propose a novel conceptual approach grounded in existing studies of ancient Egyptian history to introduce distinctive perspectives on the usage of new technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AIs), in the process of knowledge management. This would overcome knowledge amnesia that affects the generational transfer of knowledge and the creation of new knowledge.
This paper suggests that AI-enabled tools do not replace expert interpretation but may partially reshape selected SECI dynamics in heritage contexts by supporting extraction, comparison, codification and preservation-oriented analysis. Non-invasive technologies also contribute to artefact preservation by reducing the need for direct manual handling.
Through the lens of the SECI and BA, the research offers a new conceptual model to explain the duality of knowledge “that” and “how” enabled by the use of advanced technologies like AIs. AI-enabled tools may support interpretation processes by enhancing historians’ and Egyptologists’ capacity to examine, compare and preserve artefact-based knowledge. Rather than replacing expert interpretation, these tools may partially reshape selected SECI dynamics in heritage contexts, especially where codified traces from the past are available for reinterpretation. Finally, this paper supports that the “past informs the present” to generate new solutions to address modern challenges.
