Research Libraries Approaching Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence

Abstract

Recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) applications have raised concerns about the consequences of the uncontrolled development of AI technology for society and humans. Information and knowledge professionals working in research libraries are in professions that have long existed and have globally applied ethical codes that serve as self-regulatory ethical norms. New AI technologies that penetrate throughout libraries’ operations cause confusion among librarians and challenge the existing ethics. In this paper, we examine these challenges and present a qualitative study that reveals the ethical considerations that research librarians face when they approach new AI technologies. As there are no established AI ethics norms for research librarians, we compared the international code of conduct for libraries against the European AI guidelines to identify relevant themes for our study. We analyzed the data from two Scandinavian workshops for librarians. Our findings highlight the central role of research libraries in making AI-powered research ethical. Our study also indicates a need to update international codes of conduct for libraries for the AI age by including aspects of AI agency and the interests of future generations. This helps librarians better orient themselves and their patrons towards a trustworthy and existentially sustainable future with AI systems.