Artificial Intelligence (AI) Library Guide: Overview of AI

Artificial Intelligence (AI) developments are happening quickly and will impact us and society both locally and globally. 

This Library guide will help students explore a range of AI technologies and consider how these technologies might affect their learning practice, as well as their impact on a wide range of professions. As AI is developing progressively every day, you will need to keep up-to-date by monitoring news and academic blogs.

What is Artificial Intelligence?

What is Generative AI?

Generative AI tools have been developed by being fed on large amounts of data and information. The algorithm used provides a set of instructions enabling the tool to recognise patterns so that it can predict the next word and generate a likely answer. When asked, a Generative AI tool can write a work of fiction, a poem or create images, but it is debatable whether the output generated is a new creation or an original piece of work. 

Generative Artificial Intelligence Literacy skills

 Artificial Intelligence Literacy is an additional skill to add to your toolbox in both life and career.  AI is integrated with the every day tools you are using.  In your academic studies,  AI assists in:

• Library catalogue searching.
• Specialised information databases searching.
• Literature finding.
• Topic or subject research mapping.

 According to CILIP, The Library and Information Association (2018) 'Information literacy is the ability to think critically and make balanced judgements about any information we find and use'. More than ever we need to develop our AI Literacy skills so that we can evaluate information found to help us to recognise biases, opinions and deepfakes.