Artificial Intelligence (AI) and AI Information Literacy

AI literacy, as defined by the Association of College and Research Libraries, is the ability to understand, use and think critically about AI technologies and their impact on society, ethics and everyday life. This can be accomplished by understanding what AI is as a whole and how to ethically use it, while weighing in the impact this technology has on society and everyday life. 

Understand the principles of AI

• Machine learning
• Generative AI
• AI Algorithm

Ethical Responsibility

• Fairness
• Transparent 
• Privacy

 Critical Thinking

• Question outputs
• Assess sources
• Be aware of underlying biases 

Environmental Impact

• Energy consumption
• Greenhouse gases
• Water consumption
• Hardware and e-waste 

Experiment with AI tools

• Apply these concepts
• Keep up on the changes and improvements

Principles of AI

      Artificial intelligence (AI), as defined on the IBM website, as a technology that allows computers and machines to simulate human learning,                comprehension, problem solving, decision making, creativity and autonomy. 

     Machine learning is used by AI. It functions based on an algorithm that can make predictions or decisions from data.  

     Deep learning is also used by AI. It uses subsets of the machine learning algorithms on multilayered neural networks, which is trying to simulate the decision making process used by the human brain.  

    Generative AI uses the deep learning process to create original content based on the query and training dataset. 

    Large language models are designed for natural language processing, which understands, summarizes, generates and predicts new content.

    AI Algorithm is a set of instructions that tell the computer how to learn and operate on its own. 

All of these concepts are put together to create different AI tools. There are text generating AI tools, such as, Co-Pilot, ChatGPT and Perplexity AI. There are text to image AI tools are Dall-e, MidJourney and Stable Diffusion. Personalized content recommendations are generated through AI, virtual assistants, such as Siri and Alexa, are AI and language translation tools are AI. 

Ethical Responsibility

Because regulatory oversite is limited in AI, it becomes the users responsibility to ensure the tools are ethically made and used.

Fairness

• Results are not biased or skewed based on dataset trained in
• Acknowledge using AI generated information

Transparent 

• Evaluate if the AI tool provides background information about dataset and training
• Ensure that information about the company itself is accessible and easy to locate

Privacy

• Avoid using personal or private information as provided data can be incorporated into other results
• Be aware of data sharing or storing

Critically Thinking

Who, what, where, when and how should be considered before using the AI tool

• Who made it?
• What data was used to train the tool?
• Where does the provided information go?
• When was the data gathered?
• How was biases considered when making the tool or dataset? 

When using the AI tool

• Consider the results
• Assess the sources 
• Ensure there is no underlaying assumptions shaping data

Environmental Impact

• Energy Consumption the training and application of these tools requires an exorbitant amount of electricity
• Greenhouse gases are generated through the use of significant amounts of energy.
• Water is used as a coolant to keep systems and hardware from overheating
• Technology updates and advances requires continuous hardware changes