Libraries and AI

Maturing responses and remaining uncertainties

Resumo

As the library sector response to AI matures, there remain significant areas of uncertainty. As well as promoting AI literacy, libraries are starting to bring AI into library services, such as through library databases and in library management systems. Yet there remain significant uncertainties. The first is how exactly users’ search and use of information is changing, driven by access to LLMs. The presentation explores some of the changes and considers their implications. The second area of uncertainty is how to frame the issues of the environmental impact of AI in such a way as users can understand the issue and make up their own minds about it. The talk points to six ways to frame the sustainability issue. The third uncertainty is how to balance strategic alignment and emergent understanding in responding to AI. Six tactics to raise library AI capability are presented.