For the Hyperlinked Environments reflection post, I wanted to look at AI at the library.
Listening to Yuval Noah Harari is always revelatory because he is able to crystallize complex issues into easy to digest, bite-size pieces. He warns us that the AI we are seeing today is extremely primitive. That AI is not a tool we can hold in our hand, but an agent that can make decisions and invent beyond the human imagination (Reid Hoffman, 2025). What will the impact of a highly developed AI on human civilization?
I also looked at how libraries are shouldering the responsibility of educating the public about AI. Seniors called the library to demand AI programs to help them understand what it is. The community has spoken.
We cannot escape the frightening environmental cost of AI. This podcast talks about how the power of AI can help solve the problems we are facing with climate change as well as the high energy and water needs as tech companies continue to invest in and build massive data centres.
Finally, I asked ChatGPT about AI in public libraries. What is the role of the public library in helping their communities adapt to the growing use of AI? It provided a complete answer that included the the libraries role in teaching digital literacy, providing democratic access, promoting ethical stewardship and community dialogue, upskillinng and career training, enhancing reference services, and AI as a tool to break down barriers. It provided the following summary:
“Public libraries are uniquely positioned to democratize access to AI, foster critical thinking about its use, and prepare communities to engage with AI safely and effectively. As trusted, neutral institutions, they are essential in ensuring that the benefits of AI are shared equitably across society.” (OpenAI, 2025)
References
Climate One. (2024, April 19). Climate One rewind: Artificial intelligence, real climate impacts [Audio podcast]. Spotify. https://open.spotify.com/episode/2U5hdk9Go8iIhaV87OGlxA?si=Q3oOyFm9ROaYYdDha6T9jQ
More, S. (2025, April 22). Your politeness to AI is costing millions and harming the environment. Medium. https://shivammore.medium.com/your-politeness-to-ai-costing-millions-and-harming-the-environment-8e5bee3e7874
OpenAI. ChatGPT 4.0 [Large language model]. https://chatgpt.com/c/68631386-3568-8008-b994-9d81cb0f673d
Reid Hoffman. (2025, June 4). Yuval Noah Harari on the dangers of AI [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuBLxWowDqI
Rich Roll Podcast. (2024, October 28). Our AI future is way worse than you think | Yuval Noah Harari [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jl64f-821o
Sidotti, O. & Macclean, C. (2025, June 25). 34% of U.S. adults have used ChatGPT, about double the share in 2023. Pew Research. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/06/25/34-of-us-adults-have-used-chatgpt-about-double-the-share-in-2023/
Toronto Public Library. (2025, January 27). Artificial intelligence policy. https://torontopubliclibrary.typepad.com/board-meetings/2025-01-27/21-artificial-intelligence-policy-combined.pdf
Toronto Public Library. (2025). Learn AI. https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/using-the-library/computer-services/learnai/
@daisychia how cool you made an info graphic. It is a nice way to present your reflections as is your actual text of this post. I am really happy to see that you asked AI to help you with the post and that you shared that bit toward the end. This is exactly what we should be doing: experimenting to understand what the technology means. I am interested to hear more about the AI innovator in residence.
@michael— I will definitely update you once the AI Innovator in residence is found!
Everyday new issues around AI are arising! This morning I was reading about an anti AI movement (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/06/business/ziz-lasota-zizians-rationalists.html) gone wrong- an off shoot of the Rationalists turned cult killings. I was also reading about a woman’s very real romantic relationship with ChatGPT (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/15/technology/ai-chatgpt-boyfriend-companion.html) as the machine which is so good at simulating human conversation replaces the complications of real human relationships. Then I was reading about AI rewriting history as human historians are increasingly using AI to help them make sense of the archives and find connections that would be time consuming and difficult for a human researcher (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/16/magazine/ai-history-historians-scholarship.html). The algorithms are feeding my curiosity. As well, I realized the other day that Google maps provides different results for getting places for my son and I. I am still not sure why but we do have very different stride lengths.
Reading “Murderbot Diaries” is also a great tie in to all this. For example, in the 5th book, Murderbot (a robot construct with organic cloned parts) and a powerful and intelligent research transport (who he refers to as ART – asshole research transport) make a baby (Murderbot 2.0) in order to save some humans. It sounds insane but it is just very well done. It brings to light questions around what is considered “life”.
How are you feeling about it these days?