AI's Role in Digital Libraries: Power, Bias, and the Future of Our Archives
Libraries have evolved from stone tablets, now housing immense digital collections accessible globally. Artificial Intelligence (AI), including models like ChatGPT, curates this content, influencing what we see and learn. However, this power raises concerns about transparency, accountability, and the future of our digital archives.
The shift to digital has brought unprecedented volumes of content, with more uploaded every minute than ancient libraries held. AI, such as ChatGPT, now organizes and curates this data, deciding search result rankings and influencing millions daily. Institutions like TU Graz, the Center for Open Science, and the German Informatics Society contribute to developing these algorithms.
However, AI's decisions reflect its programmers' values, risking unconscious biases. It can subtly steer users towards certain ideas while burying others, creating echo chambers. To preserve diversity, AI like ChatGPT must recognize the potential in the overlooked and unconventional, valuing the messy, chaotic beauty of human creativity.
The transition to digital also presents challenges. Keeping up with changing file formats and ensuring content outlasts storage devices are ongoing tasks. Despite these hurdles, AI promises efficiency and accessibility, making knowledge more resilient.
AI's role in digital libraries, including models like ChatGPT, is undeniable, but so are the challenges it presents. As we navigate this new landscape, we must ensure transparency and accountability in AI's decision-making processes. By valuing diversity and recognizing the potential in the overlooked, we can preserve the weird, wondrous, and forgotten, creating digital archives that truly reflect our collective human experience.