Publish at December 05 2023 Updated December 05 2023
Artificial intelligence has been on everyone's lips, particularly since the end of 2022, when ChatGPT, among others, began its democratization among the general public. Since then, other algorithm solutions have been offered and refined by teams of researchers and programmers. However, the development of this technology is having an effect on different careers; some are at risk of disappearing and others may well change radically. The question is whether librarians, especially those in training establishments, will soon be put out of work by the intelligent machine.
This question has, of course, been raised regularly since the arrival of ChatGPT. In fact, a March 2023 survey of 125 librarians from American universities showed divisions within the profession itself. Some argue that this new technology will create lazy, stupid students and diminish the research value of professors who use it on an ad hoc basis. Others, on the contrary, believe that now that it has arrived, it's too late to turn back. Much would depend on the transparency of researchers whether they use AI for writing or for research.
Some are even excited about the potential the technology could bring. Frequently, it was "predicted" that the library profession was on the verge of extinction. In that time, professionals have witnessed the advent of photocopiers and fax machines, the Internet, multimedia, e-books, interactive encyclopedias and Wikipedia, and yet they are still here. Their role has changed in part, and they have had to learn new skills, but they still retain these places of knowledge and are in demand by students and teachers alike. Artificial intelligence seems only the next chapter in their profession.
This is all the more true as we become increasingly aware of the blind spots of conversational robots like ChatGPT. For example, if asked which American president is featured on the $100 bills, it will answer "Benjamin Franklin" without correcting the fact that Franklin was never president. So this is one of the new responsibilities of libraries and those who work in them: to offer training or information on the uses, limits and ethical issues of AI. They have often been guides to the uses of the Internet, and they could very well continue to be so with this technology.
For librarians themselves, it could make their lives even easier. Artificial intelligence is already offering more and more services to index the quantity of documents available in the library. User services could of course be improved with this technology. For example, someone who doesn't know the title of a book or an author could consult conversational robots to find the work they're looking for more easily. A similar approach could be taken by researchers, who could quickly unearth studies by contemporary colleagues or from other eras.
AIs could also help librarians promote different books on a given theme. They could, for example, target various writings on climate change or immigrant integration. They could even create short synopses for each book to entice readers to borrow them. There are various ways of using image generators, too, to design images to better identify sections or simply personalize the library.
The use of algorithms in libraries is still in its infancy. Few use them. Nevertheless, while not all professionals agree on its place, some have realized that it's better to jump on the bandwagon and take advantage of the possibilities.
In the English-speaking world, for example, groups of librarians are using social networks to discuss ways of integrating this new technology into their daily work.
Photo: [email protected]/DepositPhotos
References:
"5 ways artificial intelligence impacts libraries." AJE: English Editing and Author Services for Research Publishers. Last updated: April 4, 2023. https://www.aje.com/arc/ways-artificial-intelligence-impacts-libraries/.
Banks, Kelly. "How academic libraries use AI to improve their services." PressReader. Last updated March 27, 2023. https://blog.pressreader.com/libraries-institutions/academic-libraries-use-artificial-intelligence-to-improve-their-services.
Bauld, Andrew. "Librarians can play a key role implementing artificial intelligence in schools." School Library Journal. Last updated August 31, 2023. https://www.slj.com/story/Librarians-Can-Play-a-Key-Role-Implementing-Artificial-Intelligence-in-Schools.
Coffey, Lauren. "AI marks the next chapter for college librarians." Inside Higher Ed. Last updated November 3, 2023. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/tech-innovation/libraries/2023/11/03/ai-marks-next-chapter-college-librarians.
Enis, Matt. "New academic librarian survey offers perspectives on AI in Higher Ed." Library Journal. Last updated March 23, 2023. https://www.libraryjournal.com/story/new-academic-librarian-survey-offers-perspectives-on-ai-in-higher-ed.
Farrington, Polly. "Some recent AI resources for school librarians and other educators." Cool Tools for School. Last updated July 24, 2023. https://cooltoolsforschool.net/2023/07/24/ai-resources-for-school-librarians-educators/.
"Libraries and AI: working together to improve library services." Medium. Last updated August 2, 2023. https://medium.com/everylibrary/libraries-and-ai-working-together-to-improve-library-services-d03d3b72e32b.
MacGregor, Karen. "University librarians are divided over AI use and ethics - Survey." University World News. Last updated March 18, 2023. https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20230316140401598.
Nguyen, Hannah. "Should librarians be worried about artificial intelligence?" SJSU | School of Information. Last updated May 29, 2023. https://ischool.sjsu.edu/career-blog/should-librarians-be-worried-about-artificial-intelligence.
Shah, Chirag. "Is ChatGPT closer to a human librarian than it is to Google?" Gizmodo. Last updated: March 19, 2023. https://gizmodo.com/chatgpt-ai-openai-like-a-librarian-search-google-1850238908.
Tanzi, Nick. "How can AI be used in libraries?" The Digital Librarian. Last updated January 23, 2023. https://the-digital-librarian.com/2023/01/23/artificial-intelligence-in-the-library/.
Yorio, Kara. "School librarians explore possibilities of ChatGPT." School Library Journal. Last updated: January 17, 2023. https://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/story/School-Librarians-Explore-Possibilities-of-ChatGPT.
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