Personal Knowledge Management Revisited: How AI is Changing the Game (TPS573)

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Aug 11, 2025

Explore how AI is transforming Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) with innovative tools like Obsidian. Discover the surprising benefits of maintaining a 'story bank' and the importance of effective information organization. Delve into the delicate balance between new AI-first apps and traditional tools, and learn key strategies for maximizing productivity without feeling overwhelmed. Lastly, understand how your current PKM systems are evolving to harness AI capabilities, reshaping how we retrieve and manage information.

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INSIGHT

Tool Choice Less Important With AI

Tan Pham says the app matters less than how much useful data you store for an LLM.
The LLM can then surface and organize insights regardless of the original tool.

ANECDOTE

Automated Story Bank From Transcripts

Tan Pham built a story bank by running LLMs over podcast transcripts to extract anecdotes.
Semantic search then finds relevant stories even without matching keywords.

INSIGHT

Obsidian's File-First Control

Brooks Duncan explains Obsidian stores notes as Markdown files so nothing is locked in.
This file-first design gives long-term control and plugin-driven flexibility.

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Discover how AI is revolutionizing Personal Knowledge Management (PKM). Join Thanh and Brooks as they discuss their evolving PKM systems, exploring new AI-first tools, the future of Evernote, and the impressive AI capabilities within Obsidian. Learn when to embrace new AI tools and when to stick with proven systems for maximum productivity.

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You can find links to everything that we share in the show notes at theproductivityshow.com/.

Cheat Sheet:

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Top 3 Productivity Resources [02:34].
The deceptively simple idea that could transform how you handle information [04:46].
The surprising reason Thanh keeps a “story bank” (and how it actually works) [07:12].
The search upgrade that finds what you mean, not just what you type [09:34].
Why our old tagging habits might be holding us back [12:16].
The tricky choice between “AI-first” apps and tried-and-true tools [14:22].
The modular note-taking system you can bend to your will [21:03].
The behind-the-scenes tech that lets AI talk to your tools like magic [26:50].
How your current PKM apps are quietly becoming AI-powered [31:12].
Which tools we think will thrive in the new AI era—and which might fade away [33:32].
A simple starting point if PKM feels overwhelming [37:45].
The biggest pitfalls to avoid when letting AI into your workflow [40:16].

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