Those in the library and information science field are often reminded to be aware and learn about new technologies and user trends. This knowledge is essential to our work, guiding us on how to maintain our relevancy in the eyes of the public. While modern technologies like AI are fascinating and valuable, they also have disadvantages. Experts, including innovators and researchers, have expressed how the greater reliance on technology during the pandemic generated changes with positive and negative outcomes, from a widened focus on social justice to the proliferation of misinformation (Anderson, Rainie, & Vogels, 2021). As library professionals and paraprofessionals, we can help by providing the services, tools, and resources necessary to guide the public to a path where the good outweighs the bad. We must think of how we can help people become information literate in this rapidly advancing world and encourage them to be model digital citizens.

ChatGPT is a relatively new software that has received mixed responses. The purpose of the AI tool is to assist with questions, “but its responses to questions and tasks are very formulaic and, not surprisingly, machine-like. They lack voice and personality, and they lack creativity and insight” (Jackson, 2023, para. 8). I recently had a brief conversation with one of my coworkers about ChatGPT. He told me he uses it to complete his writing tasks at work, simply telling it what he needs and making edits to the text that ChatGPT generates. He only highlighted the upsides of the software and none of its downsides. This interaction supports some concerns people have—particularly those in academia—about the AI tool regarding potential student use for writing assignments, biases, inaccuracies, and lack of citations or references. However, instead of avoiding and discouraging the use of ChatGPT, professionals in academia and libraries can learn and teach others about its complexities and how such technologies should be approached (Papini, 2023). I have never used ChatGPT myself, but I can say that I feel better prepared to make decisions on when and how to use it after learning more about it.