Artificial Intelligence (AI) refers to technologies that allow computers to simulate human thought and learning, enabling them to solve problems or perform tasks in ways similar to how people would. As a field in computer science, artificial intelligence has been around since at least the 1950s, and today we see it in products and services we use all the time. Examples include automated recommendations on video and music streaming services or retail web sites, predictive text that saves time by guessing what we'd type next, and digital assistants like Siri or Alexa that understand speech and retrieve information.
In the early 2020s, conversations around AI commonly refer to generative AI: systems that can create new text documents, images, video, or other output in response to prompts. Generative AI has the potential to change the way we work and learn, help solve problems, and enhance creativity. The technologies are developing rapidly, and social and ethical norms around the use of AI are also forming and changing.
This guide will introduce you to artificial intelligence, some of its uses related to library research and scholarly work, and ways to use AI effectively and ethically.
You may have used some of these tools already! If not, here are some examples you may want to try out. Most of these operate on a subscription model, but many allow you to experiment for free.
Often called chatbots, these platforms generate text but can increasingly do other things such as creating code, processing data, looking up information, and integrating with image generators.
AI tools exist for all kinds of purposes, including help with academic research and writing. Here are a few examples, please let us know if you have favorites not listed here!