AI and Information Access: Benefits, Challenges and Lessons

Libraries and information services are constantly evolving and adapting to the capacity and capabilities offered by emerging technologies. With the emergence of Generative AI (Gen AI), what is the impact of these tools for access to information? By undertaking an evidence-based approach and analysing and comparing the output generated by a range of Gen AI tools for access to specific information in everyday life, research and scholarly contexts, this book discusses the implications of these technologies for the end-users, as well as education and professional practice in the library and information sciences. Designed for students, academics, researchers and professionals in library science, information science and computer science, this authoritative work takes a practical approach to demonstrate and critically analyse the benefits offered by emerging Gen AI tools for information access, as well as the potential challenges and questions associated with the use of these tools. Legal and ethical issues of using Gen AI are discussed as well as the skills needed in order to use these tools effectively to find data and information for research and in everyday life.