A knowledge graph analysis tool of people and organizations to facilitate digital humanities research

Purpose To support digital humanities research more effectively and efficiently, this study develops a novel Knowledge Graph Analysis Tool of People and Organizations (KGAT-PO) for the Digital Humanities Research Platform for Biographies of Chinese Malaysian Personalities (DHRP-BCMP) based on artificial intelligence (AI) technology that would not only allow humanities scholars to look at the relationships between people but also has the potential for aiding digital humanities research by identifying latent relationships between people via relationships between people and organizations. Design/methodology/approach To verify the effectiveness of KGAT-PO, a counterbalanced design was applied to compare research participants in two groups using DHRP-BCMP with and without KGAT-PO, respectively, to perform people relationship inquiry and to see if there were significant differences in the effectiveness and efficiency of exploring relationships between people, and the use of technology acceptance between the two groups. Interviews and Lag Sequential Analysis were also used to observe research participants’ perceptions and behaviors. Findings The results show that the DHRP-BCMP with KGAT-PO could help research participants improve the effectiveness of exploring relationships between people, and the research participants showed high technology acceptance towards using DHRP-BCMP with KGAT-PO. Moreover, the research participants who used DHRP-BCMP with KGAT-PO could identify helpful textual patterns to explore people’s relationships more quickly than DHRP-BCMP without KGAT-PO. The interviews revealed that most research participants agreed that the KGAT-PO is a good starting point for exploring relationships between people and improves the effectiveness and efficiency of exploring people’s relationship networks. Research limitations/implications The research’s limitations encompass challenges related to data quality, complex people relationships, and privacy and ethics concerns. Currently, the KGAT-PO is limited to recognizing eight types of person-to-person relationships, including couple, sibling, parent-child, friend, teacher-student, relative, work, and others. These factors should be carefully considered to ensure the tool’s accuracy, usability, and ethical application in enhancing digital humanities research. Practical implications The study’s practical implications encompass enhanced research efficiency, aiding humanities scholars in uncovering latent interpersonal relationships within historical texts with high technology acceptance. Additionally, the tool’s applications can extend to social sciences, business and marketing, educational settings, and innovative research directions, ultimately contributing to data-driven insights in the field of digital humanities. Originality/value The research’s originality lies in creating a Knowledge Graph Analysis Tool of People and Organizations (KGAT-PO) using AI, bridging the gap between digital humanities research and AI technology. Its value is evident in its potential to efficiently uncover hidden people relationships, aiding digital humanities scholars in gaining new insights and perspectives, ultimately enhancing the depth and effectiveness of their research.