Behind the Docs

The Future of Docs Is More Human Than You Think with Fabrizio Ferri-Benedetti

In this episode of Behind the Docs, Patrick Bosek sits down with Fabrizio Ferri-Benedetti to explore what AI actually means for the future of technical communication — beyond the hype. Fabri shares his journey from software reviewer and blogger to Principal Technical Writer at Elastic [https://www.elastic.co?utm_source=chatgpt.com], where he helps shape documentation tooling, AI workflows, and collaborative content systems. The conversation dives into the evolving role of technical writers, why AI works best as a collaborator rather than a replacement, and how documentation teams are becoming increasingly responsible for architecture, tooling, and content operations. Patrick and Fabri also unpack the growing tension between AI acceleration and thoughtful implementation. They discuss the shift toward local and self-hosted models, the hidden value of “busy work” in building understanding, and why foundational content architecture matters more than ever in an AI-assisted world. The episode closes with a thoughtful look at what “great documentation” will mean in the future: content that is accessible to both humans and machines, structured with intent, and designed as coherent knowledge systems rather than disconnected pages. IN THIS EPISODE * Fabri’s path from blogging and SEO into technical writing * How personal writing helps sharpen thinking in the age of AI * Why AI should be treated as a collaborator, not an autopilot * The role of technical writers in AI tooling and DocOps * How documentation tools reflect organizational culture and “taste” * Why AI hype may plateau over the next 18 months * The rise of local and self-hosted AI models * What orchestration work looks like for future technical writers * Why foundational documentation still requires deep human expertise * The importance of content types, metadata, and structure for AI consumption * Advice for early-career technical communicators learning AI * Why the future of docs may look surprisingly similar to the past ABOUT THE GUEST Fabri Ferri-Benedetti is a Principal Technical Writer at Elastic [https://www.elastic.co?utm_source=chatgpt.com] and a widely respected voice in the technical communication community. Through his blog, Passo Uno [https://passo.uno?utm_source=chatgpt.com], and active online presence, Fabri explores the intersection of AI, documentation tooling, developer experience, and the evolving future of technical communication. LINKS & RESOURCES * Fabri Ferri Benedetti’s Blog – Passo Uno [https://passo.uno?utm_source=chatgpt.com] * Elastic [https://www.elastic.co?utm_source=chatgpt.com] * Write the Docs [https://www.writethedocs.org?utm_source=chatgpt.com]

BtD at ConVEx'26!

This episode of Behind the Docs is coming straight from the conference floor at ConVEx 2025 in Pittsburgh — a collection of candid conversations with the people who make this community what it is. From first-timers to veterans with decades in the field, the throughline is clear: this industry is in the middle of something real, and the people here are figuring it out together. They also dig into: * why metadata keeps coming up in every single conversation — and why it matters more than ever for AI * how well-structured content is already separating teams that are succeeding with AI from teams that are struggling * what it actually feels like to show up to a TechCom conference as a newcomer (spoiler: everyone becomes an extrovert) * the best real-world example of faceted search you've probably never thought to look at (hint: it's a knitting website [https://www.ravelry.com/account/login]) * and why "garbage in, garbage out" is just as relevant today as its always been If you care about where this profession is headed — and you want to hear it from the people actually doing the work — this one's for you. Big, big thank you to the team at the Center for Information-Development Management (CIDM [https://infomanagementcenter.com/]) for putting on another great conference. Looking forward to doing it again next year!

Special Episode! Who controls your content? AI and content governance - Sarah O'Keefe of Scriptorium

In this special replay from Scriptorium's Content Operations [https://open.spotify.com/show/5J8CNNUqVktfNqeNenXSsX?si=235b235cb6964a9d] podcast, Sarah O'Keefe [https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahokeefe/] sits down with our very own Patrick Bosek to tackle one of the thorniest problems in AI-powered content work: governance. Patrick and Sarah unpack why governing AI outputs gets harder as the technology improves, and why the structure you put into your content before it ever reaches a model may be your most important quality lever. They also dig into: * why "garbage in, garbage out" is too simple and what good upstream governance actually looks like * how content structure serves humans first (and why that makes it better for AI too) * what happens when end users start stripping warnings and summarizing away critical information * why you should never replace a working deterministic system with an AI one If you work in content strategy, technical writing, or are watching your organization stand up an AI team and wondering how to prepare, this one's for you. You can listen to this episode and many more Content Operations conversations on Scriptorium's website [https://www.scriptorium.com/category/podcast/].

What Great Documentation Actually Means in Cybersecurity - Jeff Cross at Arctic Wolf

Jeff Cross didn't plan to become a technical writer. He started a computer science degree, dropped out, spent a year trying to make it as a fiction writer, went back for a philosophy degree, considered academia, and then — almost by accident — realized that technical writing was the thing that made all of it make sense. Now Senior Manager of Technical Writing at Arctic Wolf, Jeff has spent years doing some of the most complex content work in the industry: documenting third-party security integrations he has no direct access to, managing a full DITA migration while keeping up with release cycles, and pulling off a content carve-out from a corporate acquisition with translated content in three languages and a hard deadline. In this episode, Jeff and Patrick talk about what it really means to do great documentation work, and why the hardest parts rarely show up in a job description. They cover: - Why the security space takes documentation seriously in ways other industries don't - What happened when a product rename turned "a" into "an" across thousands of content files - How AI helped a small team execute a DITA-to-DITA migration without outside help - The checkbox doc that nobody wanted to write — and that way more people read than expected - Why technical writing is less like writing and more like investigative journalism Plus: Patrick discovers mid-conversation that Jeff was the person who fixed the BlackBerry email signature problem that drove him personally crazy for a year.

Designing Documentation for Agents, Not Just Users - Dachary Carey of MongoDB and Agent-Friendly Docs Expert

In this episode of Behind the Docs, Ren sits down with Dachary Carey of MongoDB to explore a rapidly emerging challenge: AI agents can’t reliably read your documentation and most teams don’t realize it. Dachary shares how a deep dive into agent workflows (sparked by tools like Claude Code) uncovered critical gaps in how documentation is structured, delivered, and consumed by machines. From truncated pages and hidden content to the unexpected importance of formats like llms.txt, this conversation reveals why even well-written docs can become effectively invisible to AI systems. They also dig into: 1. how agents actually interact with documentation (and where they fail) 2. why technical writers are becoming essential to AI success 3. and the growing gap between companies investing in docs and those cutting them entirely If you’re thinking about AI, content strategy, or the future of technical writing, this episode is a must-listen. Important Links: 1. Dachary's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dachary/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dachary/] 2. Dachary's website: https://dacharycarey.com/ [https://dacharycarey.com/] 3. The Agent-Friendly Documentation Spec: https://agentdocsspec.com/ [https://agentdocsspec.com/] 4. The GitHub repo for anyone who wants to contribute or leave feedback: https://github.com/agent-ecosystem/agent-docs-spec [https://github.com/agent-ecosystem/agent-docs-spec] 5. The npm tool (afdocs - for Agent-Friendly docs) that documentation teams can run to see how agent-friendly their documentation is: https://www.npmjs.com/package/afdocs [https://www.npmjs.com/package/afdocs] 6. The GitHub repo for that tool for anyone who finds an issue or has a suggestion or request: https://github.com/agent-ecosystem/afdocs [https://github.com/agent-ecosystem/afdocs]