AI and the Transformation of Information Literacy

The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has transformed what it means to be information literate. As technology reshapes the information landscape, information professionals must evolve their teaching and training approaches.

Especially since, as per the Special Libraries Association, core competencies for information professionals include “teaching, training, and developing information literacy and associated skills for stakeholders.”

To start thinking about AI literacy within information literacy, it makes sense to define what AI literacy is.

What is AI Literacy?

In a Computers and Education Open article titled “What are artificial intelligence literacy and competency? A comprehensive framework to support them”, Chiu et al. (2024) defined AI literacy as:

“An individual’s ability to clearly explain how AI technologies work and impact society, as well as to use them in an ethical and responsible manner and to effectively communicate and collaborate with them in any setting. It focuses on knowing (i.e. knowledge and skills).”

Literacy does not necessarily equal competency, so Chiu et al. (2024) expanded upon the definition of AI literacy to develop the following definition of AI competency:

“An individual’s confidence and ability to clearly explain how AI technologies work and impact society, as well as to use them in an ethical and responsible manner and to effectively communicate and collaborate with them in any setting. They should have the confidence and ability to self-reflect on their AI understanding for further learning. [Competency] focuses on how well individuals use AI in beneficial ways.”

Breaking this down into specific skills could include the following:

• Critical evaluation of AI-generated content
• Understanding AI’s capabilities and limitations
• Recognizing potential biases in AI systems
• Ethical considerations when using AI tools
• Effective prompting and interaction with AI systems
• Verification and fact-checking strategies for AI outputs
• Integration of AI tools into research and information workflows
• Assessment of when AI use is and isn’t appropriate

Teaching AI Literacy: Considerations for Special Librarians

With these things in mind, when thinking about how to teach AI literacy and AI competency as part of information literacy instruction, I encourage you to consider the following components:

• Explain how AI uses information
  • Large language models
  • Neural networks
  • Predictive text
• Discuss the impact of AI on society
  • Copyright
  • Intellectual property
• Share about how to ethically use AI
  • Citing AI outputs
  • Acknowledging the use of AI per journal requirements
• Discuss how to communicate and collaborate with AI
  • Prompt engineering
  • How to evaluate outputs
    • Check sources
    • Fact-check

As you start developing information literacy instruction that includes AI, ask yourself:

1. How do we verify the accuracy of AI-generated information?
2. What are best practices for documenting AI use in academic and professional work?
3. How can AI augment rather than replace critical thinking skills?
4. What role should AI play in information gathering and analysis?

Preparing for an AI-Integrated Information Environment

Ultimately, the goal remains empowering stakeholders to become sophisticated information consumers and creators—but the skillset needed has expanded significantly. From educating users about the potential of AI to developing an AI policy for libraries or larger organizations, information professionals must stay ahead of these changes in order to effectively prepare their user communities for an AI-integrated information environment.

Reference:

Chiu, T. K., Ahmad, Z., Ismailov, M., & Sanusi, I. T. (2024). What are artificial intelligence literacy and competency? A comprehensive framework to support them. Computers and Education Open, 6, 100171.