The world ahead is one that will be defined by technology, from education, medical, social, and to jobs. AI, 3D, and integrated tech will be nearly indistinguishable from human resources and production. Libraries will need to help people contend with bridging digital and technological divide, misinformation and information literacy, more than ever before. – Michael Stephens

The information landscape is ever-changing, and information professionals must keep an eye on the horizon to prepare for how new and established technologies will impact library service. Trendspotting helps to assess social, technological, economic, environmental, and political factors that may change what libraries and information centers will do in the future. When asked what they believed life would be like in 2025, nearly a thousand visionaries, entrepreneurs, executives, scholars, and advocates said they believed that technology would become even more integrated into people’s lives. They predicted that the human dependency on technology would grow as more people turn to digital means for work, education, healthcare, routine commercial exchanges, and social connections. (Anderson et al., 2021).

Generative AI and ChatGPT

Generative AI came a little sooner than 2025, but the predictions of that Pew Research poll have proven true. Currently, libraries are contending with many emerging technology tools of generative AI. While there are general concerns about these tools’ moral and ethical uses, libraries are committed to helping their community access and use information according to the ALA’s promise of intellectual freedom. Intellectual freedom protects library users’ right to read and receive information and resists censorship. Intellectual freedom “encompasses respect for the inherent autonomy and dignity of the individual and their right to think independently and form their own ideas and opinions through free and open inquiry” (Caldwell-Stone, 2022, p. 472). Furthermore, Article VII of the ALA Code of Ethics states, “We distinguish between our personal convictions and professional duties and do not allow our personal beliefs to interfere with fair representation of the aims of our institutions or the provision of access to their information resources” (The American Library Association, n.d., para. 5). While maintaining the respect for copyrights, it is in the profession’s best interest to get onboard with generative AI and learn how it can best be implemented into library service in a manner that aligns with our values and responsibilities. 

Some libraries, such as the Krupp Library at Bryant University, have approached ChatGPT and generative AI through an information literacy lens. The ACRL Framework for Information Literacy is an effective resource for helping library patrons make informed choices about how they use information. For example, the ACRL Framework describes contextual authority as a tenant of Information Literacy. Librarians can explain to their patrons how this concept applies to generative AI; if ChatGPT can’t explain where it got the information, it lacks authority and can’t be considered a credible or scholarly source of information (Krupp Library, 2023).

https://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/ilframework

The current conversations about generative AI are the perfect example of why information professionals must keep an eye on the horizon to prepare for how new and established technologies will impact library service. Most experts agree that generative AI is here to stay, and information professionals must help people learn to think critically about this new information infrastructure. We must proactively determine what happens to our knowledge environments rather than reacting to sudden change. As information professionals, we are stewards of the importance and meaning of accuracy and authority, and it is up to us to hold society to those standards in the face of changing digital technology and tools. Going forward, “the ability to discern truth from the glut of plausible-sounding but profoundly incorrect answers will be precious” (Fister & Head, 2023). Finding ways to teach Information literacy may be the most important thing that information professionals can implement in their institutions as generative AI continues to expand its reach.

References

[AJE – Journal Experts]. (2023, November 1). 5 Ways Artificial Intelligence Impacts Libraries [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DddRJEqPi9w

The American Library Association (n.d.). Code of Ethics. Retrieved April 20, 2024, from https://www.ala.org/tools/ethics

Anderson, J., Rainie, L., & Vogels, E. A. (2021, February 18). Experts Say the ‘New Normal’ in 2025 Will Be Far More Tech-Driven, Presenting More Big Challenges. Pew Resarch Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2021/02/18/experts-say-the-new-normal-in-2025-will-be-far-more-tech-driven-presenting-more-big-challenges/

Caldwell-Stone, D. (2022). Intellectual freedom. In S. Hirsh (Ed.), Information services today: An introduction. (3rd ed., pp. 471-485). Rowman & Littlefield.

Fister, B., & Head, A. J. (2023). Getting a Grip on ChatGPT. Inside Higher Ed. https://www.insidehighered.com/opinion/views/2023/05/04/getting-grip-chatgpt

Krupp Library (2023). ChatGPT: A library perspective. Bryant University. https://library.bryant.edu/chatgpt-library-perspective