by Ryan Huffman
Whether you like to keep up with technology trends or not, many of us have probably heard (and may be tired of hearing) those two little letters with big implications: AI. But like a lot of the emerging technology of which people can be initially weary, it looks like AI is here to stay, and whether we like it or not, we need to decide what role we will allow it to play in our day-to-day lives. The library is no exception.
While the Adams County Library System currently does not have any definite plans to incorporate AI into our daily operations, we do have to acknowledge that the technology exists and is accessible to the public. I recently attended two webinars hosted by the Office of Commonwealth Libraries focused on the ways in which AI has already entered the library space and how the library, as a community anchor institution, can help prepare ourselves and the public for any impact AI might have moving forward.
The concept of “artificial intelligence” has been around longer than people may realize. A 1950 paper by Alan Turing showed the idea of “machine intelligence” to be, at the very least, plausible. In 1956, the field of AI research was founded at Dartmouth College, and participants led the way in the 1960s. Now, what was once merely a staple in works of science fiction has found its way into many sectors of public life and is causing quite a few ripples along the way. Part of the problem is that the people interested in testing the boundaries of the technology and those having conversations about the ethical implications of AI run amok are not always the same group, and the rest of us may feel too overwhelmed with information to form an opinion at all.
The two primary types of AI technology currently being used on the market are called “reactive machines” and “limited memory machines”. A subset of reactive machines that many have heard of and possibly interacted with is generative AI, which uses large quantities of existing data to respond to a user prompt by creating new media within requested parameters. In September 2023, Amazon limited the number of books an author could self-publish on their platform to 3 per day. Although they claimed that there was not a spike in publishing numbers, Amazon determined that the potential for abuse of generative technology warranted a change in policy. Refined company policies and local, state, or federal regulations are going to take some time to catch up as we find out how people will choose to use this technology. Hopefully, patrons and consumers will be presented with the information to make their own decisions on how to interact with AI-generated content.
With limited regulation and ethical concerns in mind, people might be wondering how AI can be used responsibly in an educational setting. The answer, to some degree, is to use AI tools as aides, not wholesale content generators. Generative text can be used for brainstorming, editing, and summarizing original content, but users should remember to use critical thinking when engaging with AI tools. Facts and sources should be double-checked, and users should be wary of algorithmic bias that can exist when using data (especially without important context!) as source material. Sensitive information should not be entered into these tools as it can be used in databases to refine the tool through use. Artificial intelligence looks like it’s here to stay in some form or another, and the library is dedicated to keeping ourselves educated and informed as the technology landscape evolves along with this new frontier.
Ryan Huffman is Computer Systems Director of the Adams County Library System.