The focus of this week’s Hyperlinked Library module is “new horizons,” examining the emerging technological changes that will shape our libraries and our lives in the years ahead. Topics under discussion included digital literacy, virtual reality, and of course, artificial intelligence, especially generative large language model AI tools like ChatGPT, which have disrupted information behavior and writing practices worldwide.
This technology and its impacts have been analyzed and debated at great length, and by folks with much greater authority and expertise on the subject than I could claim to have. I could venture to write a prolonged missive on the effects of programs like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, and Microsoft’s Copilot allowing for large outputs of text from simple user prompts, but my purpose here is simply to advocate for accepting and embracing this technology in our libraries and educational institutions.
This is not to say that the numerous ethical issues surrounding the technology should be ignored–in fact, I think these need to be critically examined and challenged. The immense environmental impact of AI usage must be curbed. The unchecked use of copyrighted materials and personal information in training large language models presents clear moral and legal issues. The use of AI tools in the educational sphere has led to students violating academic integrity and sidestepping the research process, and EDUCAUSE’s latest teaching and learning report illustrates the predominance of AI-related issues in higher education. Some models have been used to spread hate speech and promote false and dangerous information. Unrestrained job displacement is a growing concern. Regulation is sorely needed to reign in AI companies and minimize the negative impacts of the emerging technology.
So why then should we be embracing AI tools? Because they’re here, and here to stay. Historically, resisting new technologies due to their disruptive effects has been a fruitless endeavour. In “Getting a Grip on ChatGPT,” the authors compare the advent of generative AI tools with the arrival of Wikipedia, describing the “panic” for instructors and librarians, who cautioned against, or banned outright, the use of the community encyclopedia (Fister & Head, 2023). Within a few years, Wikipedia articles were becoming increasingly well-written and researched, and the site has now become a ubiquitous source for factual information and quick reference. SJSU’s Tom Moriarty draws an even earlier parallel, recalling when the internet was feared to be “the next big thing that was going to ruin education for all of us” (Jackson, 2023). The internet has now become a fundamental educational resource–will the same be said of generative AI in the future?
Regardless, with the introduction of the internet, and later Wikipedia, the technophobic approach was ultimately ill-advised and unnecessary, despite initial and well-founded concerns. With generative AI, significant issues exist, and must be addressed, but the technology is already being widely used. Our efforts should not be focused on resisting the technological progress, but on effectively and responsibly adapting to the changes it brings.
References
Feyissa, S. [Photograph of a smartphone displaying the ChatGPT app]. Unsplash. https://unsplash.com/photos/Aj7cDaR6QXs
Fister, B., & Head, A. J. (2023, May 4). Getting a grip on ChatGPT. Inside Higher Ed. https://www.insidehighered.com/opinion/views/2023/05/04/chatgpt-reshaping-information-infrastructures-opinion
Jackson, J. H. (2023, February 14). Chatting with ChatGPT: Deep dive in five with Tom Moriarty. SJSU NewsCenter. https://blogs.sjsu.edu/newsroom/2023/chatting-with-chat-gpt-deep-dive-in-five-with-tom-moriarty/
Robert, J., Muscanell, N., McCormack, M., Pelletier, K., Arnold, K., Arbino, N., Young, K., & Reeves, J. (2025). 2025 EDUCAUSE Horizon Report, Teaching and Learning Edition. EDUCAUSE. https://library.educause.edu/-/media/files/library/2025/5/2025hrteachinglearning.pdf
Stephens, M. (2016). The heart of librarianship: Attentive, positive, and purposeful change. ALA Editions.
6 responses to “Reflection: Accepting and Embracing Generative AI in Higher Education”
Thanks for sharing Colin! I am definitely someone who is very conflicted about generative LLMs, but I agree that the best path forward is to accept their ubiquity and move from there to lessen their accompanying negative environmental, legal, and cultural impacts.
@carlygove Thanks for your comment! Agreed, its tough because while resisting the use of this tech isn’t feasible, it is so concerning as well to see the blind faith that some are putting in the hands of a few large tech corporations to govern the whole AI movement. I think educating ourselves on the tech and the companies behind it is our best path forward.
@colinmcleod Wowza…that photo you used with my quote about the palm of the hand was something! It means a whole lot more in 2025 with AI causing tectonic shifts in information. 🤖
@michael I thought the photo was quite apt for that quote 😄 One of the most fascinating things to me about the whole information age is the exponential shrinking of the hardware that has accompanied the exponential growth of computing power. It doesn’t feel like too long ago that I was impressed by the things my Windows XP desktop tower could do…now we’ve got far more powerful devices in our pockets!
I also wrote about the use of AI, and similarly feel conflicted about it. Hopefully educators will approach it responsibly, and rather than tell students it’s not allowed, teach them how to use in a way that it’s a tool. My biggest fear is that young people won’t develop critical thinking skills or be as creative.
@brookek Agreed, the fact that people can now use AI to essentially sidestep the critical thinking and communication skills that go into the writing process will affect the development of those skills. It may not be realistic for parents and educators to ban AI tools, but they certainly need to teach kids to responsibly and critically use this tech.