Abstract
This chapter aims at understanding better the perceptions of academic libraries' top managers with regards to artificial intelligence (AI) and adoption decisions. Building on previous research, this study reports on the relationship between perceived familiarity with AI and the decision-makers' positive adoption attitude regarding AI in libraries. Results indicate that the main issues faced by senior-librarians when considering an AI implementation are the lack of maturity of the commercial solutions offered, security and privacy concerns, the library's core values, its funding capacity, and the need for technical expertise. The most popular AI applications currently implemented are natural language processing and virtual reference librarians (chatbots) while the least popular are robot guides and facial recognition.
TopIntroduction
Economists from the 20th century predicted that emerging technologies would eventually replace labor in various sectors. Industry 4.0, introduced in 2011, reignited discussions with regard to increased automation and smart manufacturing. Current advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI) are further fueling concerns about technological unemployment, profoundly impacting economies.
In parallel, the rapid advancement of AI has led to its widespread integration across various industries and sectors, including libraries, on a global scale that encompasses both developed and developing nations. While research-oriented institutions in more affluent countries are more likely to embrace AI due to their available resources, libraries worldwide are also undergoing an AI-driven transformation. This involves the utilization of IT tools like smart book chutes, intelligent bookshelves, mobile inventory systems, and self-check-in/out machines. AI's potential positive impacts for libraries are significant and includes virtual services, referencing, cataloguing, collection development, acquisition/technical services, and even instruction.
While the possibility of massive job displacement for librarians remains a topic of discussion, especially as smarter machines with human-like intelligence develop, current research has not extensively explored what other factors influencing decisions about AI adoption in university-libraries. Interestingly, senior librarians do not appear to be deterred by the potential job displacement, as many sources report a notable interest among library decision-makers in adopting AI. Librarians believe that AI may significantly transform their roles, but express little concern about job loss (e.g., Wood & Evans, 2018). The volume of research linking artificial intelligence (AI) to the field of librarianship is currently limited. In contrast to the rapid growth seen in AI research across other disciplines, the information sciences, including librarianship, have not experienced the same level of expansion (Wheatly and Hervieux, 2019).
To gain a deeper understanding of academic librarians' perceptions regarding AI adoption in libraries, an online questionnaire was administered to 106 chief librarians. This paper presents the analysis and findings from their responses.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Familiarity: This term refers to the achievement of a level of knowledge regarding an object, a person, or a situation and usually with objects, people, situations or computer applications which makes an individual feel familiar comfortable after a given time.
Artificial Intelligence: This is a new field of study aimed at the simulation by computer means human cognitive faculties and intellectual capacities through combinations of hardware and software in order to carry out activities generally performed by humans. It is based to varying degrees on the use of statistics, vision, voice synthesis and other sciences such as robotics, expert systems, and big data.
Adoption: Decision to implement and therefore subsequently use a new product or service or IT application, often linked to a purchasing decision. Adoption can be temporary (trial) or permanent, timid, or ambitious.
Attitudes: Psychological disposition, often resulting from experience, which determines an individual's predisposition towards an object, a situation, an experience, a person, or a computer application. It is the degree of evaluation on a bipolar scale between favorability and non-favorability, mainly caused by beliefs towards the stimulus. It is deemed to condition or cause a certain behavior or action in this regard.
Success Factors: Important characteristics or decisive elements that must be present to determine the success of an activity, project, or company.
Challenges: A test in achieving a goal, a call to action or difficulties to overcome, a problem to solve, involving a certain degree of risk or unpredictability that hinders its success.
Intention: The act of wanting; the exercise of this faculty, in particular to decide to do or not to do something (e.g.: create a legal act). It can also be the subjective probability of a certain behavior.
Library (Academic): Room, building (material or virtual) which acquires, classifies, and makes available documents (books, journals, daily newspapers, audio-visual materials and others) to a set of users. It is academic when it dedicates itself to the members of a university community.
High-Ranked: Comparative degree of value or importance (actual or presumed). In the case of universities, more or less scientific rankings are made annually to determine their relative value considering various and therefore partially subjective criteria.
Problem: This refers to a practical or theoretical question facing a situation while considering the uncertainty as to the means to be taken to resolve the difficulties which hinder its solution.