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Week 1: Introduction to AI and Its Role in Information Professions

This week introduces artificial intelligence (AI) from an information-science perspective.
The emphasis is on conceptual understanding rather than technical detail: what AI is, how it has developed over time, and how it already shapes everyday information practices and professional work.

Topics

Key Takeaways for This Week

  • AI does not have a single, stable definition and should be understood as an evolving field shaped by different intellectual approaches and by the level of available computing power and data.
  • AI literacy goes beyond familiarity with specific tools and techniques and requires a critical understanding of how AI systems work, their limitations, and their implications for information practice and society.
  • The history of AI shows a progression from symbolic, rule-based systems to data-driven machine learning and, more recently, to generative models, each stage building on earlier ideas while introducing new capabilities and limitations.
  • AI is not a new technology but a long-standing part of everyday life, increasingly visible today as generative systems that shape how people search, communicate, create content, and interact with information.
  • AI is embedded in everyday library practice, supporting core functions such as metadata creation, linked data, search, discovery, and user-facing research assistance rather than existing as a separate or experimental technology.
  • Beyond libraries, AI increasingly operates as foundational infrastructure within organizational information systems, reshaping how information is accessed, managed, and secured.

Reading materials: