A glance at the schedule at #alaac24 makes it clear that library professionals are concerned about the effects of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on learning and in educational settings, and are curious about the ways AI can be used in libraries. How do we educate our users about using AI in an ethical manner, and what does that even mean? Librarians have always been in a position to help society adapt to new technology. We’re poised to help students with AI, but we need to understand AI ourselves. With that thought in mind, I added several sessions focused on AI to my agenda this weekend: Breaking Boundaries: Harnessing the Power of Artificial Intelligence and ChatGPT to Transform Library Services and How AI is Transforming the Way We Read, Write, and Learn.
I have a lot to learn when it comes to AI. Many professionals around me are excited about the potential AI has to aid with productivity and time management and to empower learners. However, there seem to be an equal number of librarians and educators who are concerned about the ethics of using AI safety and job security, and who are overwhelmed by the selection of AI tools available.
After delving into the topic of AI here at ALA, I realize that I have a lot more homework to do. We’ve all heard of ChatGPT, but what other generative AI tools should we be exploring and testing out for ourselves? I have a long list of tools and topics to look into further, including: Veo, Gemini, Copilot, Azure, Meta Llama 3, Anthropic/Claude, Large Language Models (LLM), Draftback, Suno, and Multimodal generative AI models, which can analyze, synthesize, and generate across text, images, and other data. Draftback, which allows the user to play back the revision history of any Google Doc you can edit, has obvious implications for classroom use, and I’m eager to test it out.
Beyond knowing the tools available, the next question on everyone’s mind seems to be: how do libraries play a part? I’ve discussed media literacy lessons with several colleagues I’ve met at the conference, and I recommend this ALSC blog post if you want to learn more about media literacy lessons for your library. We know about deep fakes and other hazards in the technological landscape, and libraries can incorporate lessons about detecting these hazards into media literacy lessons, but there are ways AI can be beneficial too. One example that was cited in Mike McQueen’s session on How AI is Transforming the Way We Read, Write, and Learn was the use of AI generated emotive voices: AI reading assistance can be beneficial to non-readers because it uses natural-sounding, emotive voices. The demonstration was impressive.
Beyond familiarizing ourselves with the tools available, the next question on everyone’s mind seems to be: How do libraries play a part? How do we inspire students and library users to create ethical and authentic work when using AI? Firstly, it seems as if we need to define our parameters. Should AI be used for outlines, for research, for complete pages, for spelling and grammar checks? It’s no easy task to define what uses of AI are appropriate and ethical, but I look forward to continuing to follow the discussion.
Conference Blogger Celeste Rhoads (she/her/hers) is originally from John Steinbeck’s hometown of Salinas, California, where she read on the beach, in trees, on road trips, and everywhere in between. She moved to Paris in 2005, and immediately found a home at the American Library in Paris. As the Children’s and Teens’ Services Manager, she oversees the Library’s collections, policies, and programs for ages 0–18. Celeste has a master’s degree in Library Science from Rutgers University, where she focused on digital libraries, and children’s literature. Celeste enjoys connecting people of all ages with great reads—especially contemporary titles.
Please note that as a guest post, the views expressed here do not represent the official position of ALA or ALSC.