Some observations on generative text artificial intelligence’s impact on libraries Part 1
Peter Fernández · Library Hi Tech News · 2023
This column examines the current state of generative artificial intelligence (AI), emphasizing the importance of generative AI built on large language models (LLM).This is a foundational emerging technology, which has the potential to impact a broad range of other technologies.This is the first in a two-part series that together will provide a framework, to help information professionals understand the technology and anticipate future developments.This framework includes the following observations: future applications are unpredictable, interdependent, and will require flexibility, AI's ability to create the feeling of intelligence combined with the power of language are key to understanding its future, the technology is not neutral, it has biases and significant limitations, its widespread adoption will come with tradeoffs that matter, and finally I argue that libraries should develop a positive vision for how to use it.This column will examine previous column topics through the lens of generative text AI to illustrate the scope of generative text-based AI's potential impact.This will lay the foundation for the next column, which will trade breadth for depth and focus on the nuances of search.