Week 7: Social and Ethical Issues
AI literacy essentials for academic libraries
Choice and Clarivate have teamed up to develop an eight-week, newsletter-based course on generative AI literacy for academic library workers. If you are AI curious—and short on time—then this course is for you!
Each week contains three sections:
- Introduction: An overview of a core AI literacy competency
- In Practice: An interview or case study
- Reading Room: Further reading material focused on the topic
- The module closes with a quiz and discussion questions.
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In week seven, we discuss the social and ethical issues around AI.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Climate considerations and Justified Use of Generative AI
by Rachel Hendrick, Editor and Publisher of Choice.
In an academic context, there is a growing consensus that AI has legitimately useful applications. But what often gets overlooked when examining AI’s utility in education is what’s happening at the source. Energy consumption, water consumption, and the human rights impact of AI are just some of the issues raised around the ethical and social impact of AI.
Energy and water consumption
AI’s carbon footprint is top of mind for many people these days. So much so that MIT Technology Review just wrote a whole series about it. AI is an energy hog unlike any other data technology. It’s even set to surpass Bitcoin in energy usage. And the amount of processing power needed to power the increase usage of AI is projected to increase. The International Energy Agency’s (IEA) latest AI and Energy reports suggest that by 2030, data centers across the world will eclipse the total current energy consumption of Japan.
Water Consumption
“Energy consumption produces a lot of heat,” says Shaolei Ren in his October 2024 TED Talk. Ren is an Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of California, Riverside. His research focus is AI for good and he has written extensively on the climate and human impact of AI. Ren explains that AI uses water in three ways:
- To cool machinery and to clean wafer sheets during the production of microchips
- Production of electricity to run data centers
- To cool data centers
To truly understand the full picture of AI’s water consumption, researchers say we must differentiate between water withdrawal and water consumption. Water withdrawal is the amount of water extracted from a source (for example, a river or an aquifer). Water consumption is the amount of water not returned to the source (for example, through evaporation).
Tech companies are getting creative to meet these energy and water demands. Microsoft is spinning up Three Mile Island, while other companies are exploring other renewable energy sources and buying carbon credits. But energy and water conservation make good business sense, and companies are even using AI to improve energy efficiency and water recycling technology. More energy-efficient hardware and optimized algorithms, as well as improved data center design, all have the potential to make AI more sustainable.
Human Rights
Issues in human rights are often overlooked aspects of the information age. Much of the digital labor, which can include content moderation and creation of data sets for AI training, is done in the global south, while much of the use of these technologies is in the global north. Other human rights concerns are closer to home. For example, privacy issues, potential job loss, and lack of accountability when it comes to the decisions these algorithms make about humans are all legitimate concerns. Deep fakes are more convincing than ever. And there is a looming threat of AI decimating white-collar industries.
Justified Use
While there are very real environmental and ethical concerns around AI, this technology also holds potential solutions. There is evidence that AI can help us rethink energy and water consumption in other industries. For example, a recent article suggests that AI can be used to create more sustainability in the chemical industry. AI is helping climate scientists analyze air quality. Other ideas include using AI to optimize energy grids and forecasting natural disasters.
There is also good news around AI and human rights violations. Rahul Bhargava, Assistant Professor in Journalism and Art + Design at Northeastern University, and Catherine D’Ignazio, Associate Professor of Urban Science and Planning at MIT, are using AI to scrape media reports and help grassroots organizations build databases of hate crimes. Additionally, more and more AI is being used for content moderation, thereby reducing the need for humans to look at some of the worst content on the internet.
AI, as a transformative technology, is changing our lives, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t change with it. New kinds of roles in librarianship are centering the library as the hub of AI literacy on campus. AI librarians are working to provide a roadmap to navigate both the practical and ethical pitfalls of our rapidly changing information landscape. Investment in AI literacy will not only pay dividends on student outcome metrics, but will create a public better positioned to demand more accountability from large technology companies.
In Practice
Grappling with Social and Ethical Issues around AI
Choice sat down with Dustin Fife, College Librarian at Colorado College to talk about the ways in which his library is currently navigating the social, legal, and ethical concerns that the use of artificial intelligence is creating on campus. Colorado College currently has a campus-wide subscription to Microsoft’s Copilot. Beyond that, similar to other colleges and universities, AI use is diffuse and scattered across various product trials and other implementations in multiple contexts. This, along with big tech’s tendency to launch aggressively and ask questions later, is keeping administrators on their heels. For his part, Fife says we need to tap the brakes and ask ourselves some important questions.
Click here to read more about how Colorado College is confronting the ethical issues around AI.
What do you think are the primary, most pressing issues when it comes to the social impact of AI in academic libraries and on campus?
This won’t be surprising, but the most pressing issue to me is that we’re already years behind where we should be. On policy and mechanisms of accountability–when it comes to these types of tools–we have a history of just acquiescing to educational technology, rather than doing the groundwork to make sure that one, it fits our values; and two, it performs an intentional role, and not just fills whatever space that it can fill. In terms of social impact, the conversations, the legislation, all of these things are lagging behind.
Curiosity is not a good enough reason to incorporate artificial intelligence. This is an important enough issue that you need to pause and do more work first. Likewise, revulsion or righteous indignation are not good enough reasons to reject or ignore AI. We need to be intentional and talk more about why we’re doing things. I know people are tired of talking about AI–it’s coming at us from so many directions. However, from a social perspective, we need to think about intentionality in legislation, in policy, and in incorporation.
How are you thinking about fairness and equity when these tools are used in research, instruction, or student and faculty services?
From a position like mine, I focus on what we can actually control. One of those things is whether our vendors are building a way for us to detach from this new shiny service. We don’t need 15 different iterations of AI coming from all of our vendors. For small colleges that can’t afford these things, and when they all start to charge us for them, we’re going to see this destroy what libraries can spend on. So that’s one idea of fairness that I’m worried about.
Another one is job descriptions and the work you ask people to do. Are you going to turn around and just dump this work on people within your team without giving them the tools, training, and the opportunities to actually understand what they’re doing? There’s no equity in that, either.
On campus, it’s asking the questions like ‘Okay, who has access to it, and at what level, and in what way, and how is it being used?’ And if it becomes an issue of the haves and the have-nots it will start to impact outcomes. I’m going to come back to the word ‘intentionality’ a lot. Are we being intentional in deployment, in policy, and in our perspectives on this? We shouldn’t just acquiesce to technology companies that absolutely don’t have our best interest at heart.
Librarians have long been champions of information literacy. Do you see AI use as a new part of that framework—or does it deserve its own?
I don’t think there’s any reason that the information literacy frameworks that we have are not expansive enough. As soon as you have that one core concept out of the information literacy framework, that information is contextual, it can apply to artificial intelligence.
I hear people saying we just shouldn’t do anything with [AI], and that’s not appropriate. If you are an information professional, we need you to take into account the information ecosystem that students will be entering–whether or not it’s here in our particular college or university. This is part of our values, and part of our profession, to prepare students to be ethical and capable in the information ecosystem in which they exist.
You have to be willing to prepare folks–whether or not you think AI is ideal. And I can tell you it’s definitely not being built in an ideal way. It’s definitely not being legislated in an ideal way. And it’s not being deployed in an ideal way. But students have to exist in an ecosystem that is rife with artificial intelligence.
How are copyright and intellectual property issues showing up in your world, and are the current laws and policies keeping pace?
This is where I come back and ask us to be honest with ourselves and see what we can influence and what we can ‘control’. I don’t see any useful legislation coming anytime soon to help us in these areas. So, when you come to these big copyright questions or ethics questions, just because something is legal doesn’t mean it’s ethical. We’re years behind on the policy and legislation we need to really work in this environment.
When I think about these concerns, I come back to the fact that I’m a librarian at a small college with a small footprint, but with incredible people, and I’m going to focus on individual acts of ethical behavior because that’s what I can do.
How are you thinking about AI’s impact on library workers? Has it changed how you approach hiring, training, and your outlook on library roles going forward?
We aren’t currently offloading any work to AI, but it would be wrong to say it’s not impacting jobs. Our education librarians and our information literacy librarians are discussing and exploring all of these things, so it has inserted itself into our workloads. And I think being intentional about not expecting that labor from people without also giving them the resources, the time, and the training that they want is essential. That’s how I’m approaching that at this time.
If you don’t have in-house ethical mechanisms laid out very clearly at this point, you need to stop all of your AI work and do that first. You need an ombuds. You need a mechanism for discussing the ethics of your work. Once again, curiosity is never a good enough reason to do something when it comes down to big societal issues like this.
AI is an important enough issue that there should be a person within your company or institution that you can go talk to about AI concerns, whistleblower issues, copyright issues. On my campus we have an ombuds office, we have a Title IX office, we have people in the IT department who are specifically there to be reported to for these types of concerns. That needs to be in place.
Reading Room
A selection of multimedia content to fit your time commitment.
5 minutes
- Judge Rules Training AI on Authors’ Books Is Legal But Pirating Them Is Not, by Jason Koebler. 400 Media, 2025.
- Four Reasons to Be Optimistic about AI’s Energy Usage, MIT Technology Review, 2025.
- Open Letter: Stop the Uncritical Adoption of AI Technologies in Academia, openletter.earth, June 2025.
- AI and Copyright: 3 Key Issues, by EDUCAUSE. YouTube, 2025. Video below.
10 minutes
- How on-device AI can help us cut AI’s energy demand, by Kim Lokwon. World Economic Forum, 2025.
- Can academics use AI to write journal papers? What the guidelines say, by Sumaya Laher. The Conversation, 2025.
- Explained: Generative AI’s environmental impact, by Adam Zewe. MIT News, 2025.
20+ minutes
- Navigating the Jagged Technological Frontier: Field Experimental Evidence of the Effects of AI on Knowledge Worker Productivity and Quality, by Fabrizio Dell’Acqua et al. Harvard Business School, 2023.
- Why the true water footprint of AI is so elusive, by Emily Kwong, et al. Short Wave, 2025. Podcast.
- Full report on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights. United Nations Global Compact, 2024.
Quiz Time
Test your AI literacy knowledge!
Discussion Questions
AI gives us a lot to think about. Share your thoughts in the Leave a Reply section below!
- How can AI literacy be used to mitigate some of the social and climate challenges of AI?
- What steps is your institution taking to use AI responsibly?
Coming up
Next week, Kyle Bylin, Research and Assessment Librarian at Saginaw Valley State University, places libraries at the center of the future of AI. And we talk to Oren Beit-Arie, senior vice president of Strategy & Innovation at Clarivate about innovations in their database products.
Take me to the Table of Contents.
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75 responses to “Week 7: Social and Ethical Issues”
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How can AI literacy be used to mitigate some of the social and climate challenges of AI?
In my experience, college students are often passionate about climate and ethical issues. Unfortunately, AI companies (and many others) are doing a good job of promoting their wares, but at the same time, they are working hard to hide the negative aspects of AI such as using our precious drinking water for data centers, using copyrighted material without permission, and using underpaid workers in the Global South (to list a few). One problem that has been discussed in Arizona is that data centers can raise the surrounding area temperature by up to 4 degrees. In a very hot environment such as the Phoenix Valley, even a minor uptick in temperature can drain more power on our already taxed infrastructure. So, any attempt librarians can do to educate with AI Literacy can help get students thinking about the real implications of AI use and perhaps motivate them to be more thoughtful and careful of their use of AI in their course work and to take a more active role in their local communities.
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How can AI literacy be used to mitigate some of the social and climate challenges of AI?
– I think currently there is a lot of concern and worry (rightfully so) around water consumption and human rights regarding AI. I think being able to be competent in AI literacy will be useful to help users better understand how to utilize genAI with more effective prompt engineering, ethical usage, and just understanding what constitutes as genAI. As I’ve slowly become more competent in AI literacy and learn more about genAI in general, my anxieties around it have alleviated somewhat.
What steps is your institution taking to use AI responsibly?
– I believe my institution of employment is trying to center AI literacy while it continues to integrate some of our AI tools into our resources; there is also a push for faculty and staff to have competent AI literacy through Linkedin Learning certificates, our own certificate program, etc. For my grad institution, I don’t believe anything campus wide has been done for responsible AI usage. Currently, it is by department and from there, dependent on the instructor/professor. It’s very choppy. -
AI literacy can help mitigate social and climate challenges associated with AI by giving people the knowledge and skills to understand, question, and responsibly use AI systems. It helps shift AI from being something that is passively consumed into a technology that is actively managed and governed.
AI support enhances validity and reliability by ensuring that information and processes are accurate, consistent, and trustworthy. It establishes accountability by promoting transparency, responsible use, and clear ownership of AI-driven decisions. It protects data and privacy through responsible data handling practices and safeguards sensitive information. It also promotes security and safety by reducing risks, preventing misuse, and supporting the ethical implementation of AI technologies.
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AI tools and the social climate remain a challenge.
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How can AI literacy be used to mitigate some of the social and climate challenges of AI?
What steps is your institution taking to use AI responsibly?
The answer to both questions is to focus on awareness and ethics. -
1) AI literacy provides users with the training and tools necessary to navigate the social and climate challenges of AI.
2) Having a policy regarding AI usage and providing training to members of staff and patrons.
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How can AI literacy be used to mitigate some of the social and climate challenges of AI?
– the institution who’s adopting AI must equip all staff with necessary skills to understand and responsibly deploy AI systems.What steps is your institution taking to use AI responsibly?
– Our institution is gathering data from staff as well as creating an AI policy. -
It’s true that curiosity around AI is not enough. We need to advocate for legislation and work to develop policies for our organizations and institutions that make sure we remain focused on research and learning, rather than a tech-first agenda. AI Literacy, as part of our existing information literacy initiatives, is a big part of that in securing students’ awareness and agency in an evolving information ecosystem.
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AI can help mitigate some of these issues by bringing awareness to these same issues. As companies develop chips with higher processing power, the ecological issues created will spur the same or different companies to come up with solutions to solve these problems. One of the constant complaints that I hear about AI is that it will take peoples’ jobs. This may be true but it will start with some of the jobs that bring about the most human rights issues such as content moderators.
As for my library, we are constantly teaching students how to use AI in ethical ways when completing their assignments. By demonstrating that AI is not infallible, we hope that we show the students that use of AI is like a partnership relationship instead of a way to cheat or get an assignment done with no effort on their part -
AI literacy involves giving people the knowledge to understand what AI is, how it functions, and the impact it can have. When individuals are AI-literate, the risks of misuse and bias decrease because they are better equipped to recognize bias, question AI outputs, and expect transparency. At Chapman University, we are beginning to integrate AI literacy into all first-year undergraduate library instruction. We teach students how AI models work, their limitations and risks, and how they can still serve as helpful, time-saving tools. As AI use grows among students, it remains essential to emphasize ethics and reliability.
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How can AI literacy be used to mitigate some of the social and climate challenges of AI?
AI literacy will gives an awareness focusing on the social and climate challenges. With the informed situations, we can use AI with responsibly, efficiently and ethically.
What steps is your institution taking to use AI responsibly?
Creating a clear policy regarding generative AI use for teaching and learning.
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How can AI literacy be used to mitigate some of the social and climate challenges of AI?
AI is simply a tool but I think many lose sight of that because of the hype around AI. From my perspective AI literacy is essential for all of us to learn what it can and can’t do. We have AI literacy course in our LMS but we lack policies and admin direction. -
Investing in AI literacy can potentially lead to improved student performance and empower them as citizens to hold major tech companies accountable. At my university, we are exploring AI from different angles, to learn to engage with these technologies in an informed way.
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AI literacy helps people use AI responsibly and think critically about its impact. When students and faculty understand how AI works, they can spot and reduce bias in information, promote ethical use, and make informed choices about when to rely on these tools. It also raises awareness about the environmental cost of training large models to encourage more sustainable use.
At my institution, we have a policy outlining how students are expected to use AI responsibly. It’s reviewed and updated regularly as new tools and information emerge. Instructors can decide whether to allow AI use in their classes. We also have an AI task force that’s grown into several subcommittees to address different areas of AI in higher education, helping us adapt and use these technologies thoughtfully. -
AI literacy helps people use AI responsibly and think critically about its impact. When students and faculty understand how AI works, they can spot and reduce bias in data, promote ethical use, and make informed choices about when to rely on these tools. It also raises awareness about the environmental cost of training large models to encourage more sustainable use.
At my institution, we have a policy outlining how students are expected to use AI responsibly. It’s reviewed and updated regularly as new tools and information emerge. Instructors can decide whether to allow AI use in their classes. We also have an AI task force that’s grown into several subcommittees to address different areas of AI in higher education, helping us adapt and use these technologies thoughtfully.
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AI literacy means equipping people with the knowledge to understand what AI is, how it works, and its impacts. When people are AI-literate, it helps reduce riska of misuse and bias. AI-literate users and developers are better at spotting bias, questioning outputs, and demanding transparency. At Chapman University, we are starting to incorporate AI literacy in all first-year undergraduate library instruction. We share information with students about how models work, their limits, and risks, yet how it can be a useful assistant and time-saving tool. As students are increasingly using AI we still need to stress the ethics and reliability.
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Amongst projects my organization works on concerns climate change adaptation and mitigation to enhance agricultural practices and help minimize their environmental impact. There is more climate data available now than ever before, but how we access, interpret, and act on this data is essential for effectively managing climate crises. A key technology in this effort is AI. Am certain that AI can significantly aid in climate change applications and tools that predict weather patterns, track icebergs, and identify pollution levels.
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Our institution has created a committee to assist all departments’ faculty and students to make informed and ethical decisions on how and when to use AI. We are exploring additions of academic disciplines specific AI agents and LLMs that will help students with high quality academic content with which to conduct AI learning activities. We are training to also train students in forming effective prompts and thought exercises, and conducting targeted, effective literature reviews with AI agents. We are also helping students learn what not to expect AI to produce for their academic work. We especially emphasize that despite what looks like an easy what to produce papers, they are almost guaranteed to produce false or incorrect results and hallucinations if they solely depend on AI to produce their work. Finally, our AI committee is working in the environmental sciences department to explore ethical AI usage as it affects energy. Our university has not rolled out access to AI agents university wide, in part, because of the energy usage requirements widescale usage would add to the university’s computing burden.
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No estoy segura que medidas estén tomando en especial en los proyectos de investigación , pero algunos docentes indican a sus estudiantes que deben tener mucho en cuenta la ética del uso responsable de la IA.
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How can AI literacy be used to mitigate some of the social and climate challenges of AI?
AI literacy can be used to mitigate some of the social and climate challenges of AI by creating awareness of the consequences, challenges, benefits, and effects of either proper or improper usage of AI. For example, citing the consequences of copying the AI work as it is without thinking about the plagiarism issue.What steps is your institution taking to use AI responsibly?
My institution has really tried to collaborate with both local and international institutions on matters of AI training and knowledge exchange concerning the same. And also coming to the students’ matters when it comes to research, my institution is in the process of acquiring an anti-plagiarism tool embedded with an AI detecting tool to avoid direct copying of work from AI. -
My institution is working on an AI policy. The students have to watch how they use AI, and the library tries to help them pull from other sources while using AI to look at an outline.
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What steps is your institution taking to use AI responsibly?
I’m not sure what steps my institution is taking to responsibly use AI. There are policies against AI, a committee to explore AI usage, and a learning community group that is open campus-wide. Mostly, I am noticing teachers, predominantly English teachers, who are taking measures to prevent AI from being used, even down to banning the use of grammar and spelling checkers. Many of the teachers are also returning to handwritten assignments and blue books. It is still a polarizing issue.
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What steps is your institution taking to use AI responsibly?
There is no clear policy in place at USIU-A for using AI responsibly but a lot is been done towards that direction. -
AI literacy can play a critical role in mitigating social and climate challenges by empowering individuals and communities to understand how AI systems work, question their biases, and apply them responsibly toward sustainable solutions. When people are equipped with AI literacy, they can better recognize and challenge discriminatory algorithms, ensure that AI applications uphold fairness and inclusivity, and advocate for transparent, ethical use of data. At the same time, AI-literate citizens, policymakers, and researchers can direct AI innovations toward addressing climate challenges—such as optimizing energy use, improving climate modeling, or supporting sustainable agriculture—while remaining vigilant about the environmental costs of AI infrastructure itself. In this way, AI literacy fosters both social accountability and environmental stewardship, enabling societies to harness AI’s potential for the common good rather than allowing it to deepen inequities or environmental harm.
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AI literacy helps mitigate social and climate challenges by fostering awareness, critical use, and the development of sustainable solutions. Our institution is adopting measures such as ethical guidelines, training programs, and transparent practices to ensure responsible AI use.
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We haven`t started talking about social and climate challenges of AI.
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¿Cómo se puede utilizar la alfabetización en IA para mitigar algunos de los desafíos sociales y climáticos de la IA?
Entendiendo y comprendiendo el impacto social y climático, es uno realmente grande.¿Qué medidas está adoptando su institución para utilizar la IA de forma responsable?
Estamos en le proceso de analizar, estudiar y validar todo lo relacionado a las medidas que debemos adoptar. Por eso es que estoy tomando este curso. -
I think most organisations have never thought of the social and climate challenges. COPs and AI Task teams are essential to put together in house ethical mechanism. AI literacy is as crucial as the Information literacy to be better informed and understand AI
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AI literacy helps us recognize the environmental and social costs of AI—like energy use, water consumption, and human rights issues—so we can make more thoughtful choices about when and how to use it. At my institution, we’re starting to set clearer guidelines for responsible AI use, while the library is creating space for conversations, workshops, and resources that encourage transparency, sustainability, and ethical adoption.
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AI literacy is a key tool for addressing the social and environmental challenges posed by artificial intelligence. The more informed our users—students, researchers, and staff—are, the better they can understand the impacts of AI technologies and make responsible choices, helping to reduce risks such as social inequality, misinformation, or excessive resource use.
At our library, we integrate AI literacy at all levels through workshops, training sessions, and informational resources that teach responsible and critical use of AI tools. We also collaborate with IT and academic departments to establish policies that promote transparency, ethical use, and environmental responsibility.
In short, knowledge and education are our first line of defense against AI’s challenges, and libraries can play a central role in guiding our communities.
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AI if used responsible can be a great assest to many. Colleges teaching the use of AI and making clear where the admin stands on the rules and regulations of using it with academic work.
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How can AI literacy be used to mitigate some of the social and climate challenges of AI?
I think that AI literacy is key to mitigating some of the social and climate challenges of AI. When I work with students using AI, I ask them what they think the environmental impact of generative AI is compared to using a search engine. I find that Gen Z students are very environmentally conscious, and once they find out that asking ChatGPT for factual information uses many times more water than a similar query on Google they become more critical of their AI use.It is harder for me to address the social challenges of AI. I live and work in a conservative state where I’m not always comfortable discussing social issues with students. Instead of bringing these concerns up directly, I usually talk about how to spot AI-generated text. Students usually mention that certain word and punctuation choices are clear indicators of AI, which then leads to talking about the hidden labor of people from the global south where that “giveaway” language may be more common.
There is a lot of talk about AI literacy, but I think that so much of AI literacy is just another name for information literacy. Just these techniques touch on Research as Inquiry (ethical guidelines for finding information) and Information Has Value (valuing the labor of workers training LLMs, addressing information privilege).
What steps is your institution taking to use AI responsibly?
I’m not really aware of ways that my larger institution is teaching responsible use of AI. Earlier in this course I decided to check the university’s honor code and definition of academic dis/honesty. I found a quote from the dean of students saying that any use of AI is an automatic violation of the honor code, but the honor code doesn’t mention AI at all (and was last updated before ChatGPT launched). Right now acceptable AI use for students varies by instructor, and I haven’t seen any guidance for faculty or staff for acceptable or responsible use. In practice I see many faculty members who do not allow for any use of AI in their classes, which doesn’t teach students to use AI responsibly in any context. At the same time, the campus is promoting lots of AI use with custom platforms for ChatGPT, Claude, and other LLMs.In my unit in the library, we have started offering AI workshops that breakdown how AI works and how to use it responsibly and ethically. In these workshops we will look at the environmental impact of data centers, but also how AI models can lead to better predictions of severe weather or more effective use of natural resources. I’ve also tried to start an AI community of practice in the library but have been met with some resistance. First year rhetoric & composition classes will soon need to include “something” related to AI, but it could be a class discussion about why students shouldn’t use it.
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1. How can AI literacy be used to mitigate some of the social and climate challenges of AI?
I agree win Dustin Fife when he stated that companies should have in-house ethical mechanisms to mitigate some of the social and climate challenges brought by AI. Academic libraries have a voice and are well recognized when it comes to Information literacy programmes – the latter is not enough; we need to form CoPs who will have one voice in alleviating the social and climate challenges. An ombuds office can also help because as an organization; we will have an office that we can talk to and report these challenges because they are dangerous to societies in general. With one voice as CoPs, we can also force the other policy makers like government entities to act decisively to save the planet and its inhabitants.2. What steps is your institution taking to use AI responsibly?
We have informally integrated the ethical use of AI in our information literacy programmes. Our library has also formed AI Task Team that will also assist the institution to use AI responsibly. With the skills I have obtained from this course – I will also play a leading role in assisting in equipping our users with AI essentials skills. -
How can AI literacy be used to mitigate some of the social and climate challenges of AI?
AI Literacy, like Information literacy, is vital for helping people to geta better understanding of AI, what it is and how it works. It is a foundation that can be built on, important for creating initial awareness of the resource, its advantages and shortcomings. Making people aware of the social and climate challenges that are an inevitable result of their use of AI will hopefully make their use of the resource more intentional, only when necessary.What steps is your institution taking to use AI responsibly?
The approach that our institution is taking with regard to using AI is mainly focused around how best to use AI for the purpose of teaching and research, navigating the assessment minefields. The guidelines for students emphasize academic integrity. I feel that there is a need to create awareness of the social and climate challenges through the creation of libguides and by developing critical thinking skills that promote the responsible use of AI. -
How can AI literacy be used to mitigate some of the social and climate challenges of AI?
Introducing AI Literacy into the basic principles of Information Literacy can mitigate some of the social and climate challenges of AI by illuminating what AI actually is and what it is doing. Many students think of an AI as a “virtual assistant,” but there is often a misunderstanding that AI has reason and can give the same quality of advice as an experienced professional. It’s worth it to let future generations know that AI does not have experience, reason, or belief, and that the information it provides should be taken with a grain of salt. AI is not an all-in-one solution and does not need to permeate every aspect of our lives. It is simply another way that you can search the internet that uses up more resources than a typical Google search.
What steps is your institution taking to use AI responsibly?
We have implemented an AI policy which is a great first step. Additionally, we are working on an AI Literacy LibGuide that goes into more detail about what AI actually is, what it is doing, and the ethics of using (or not using AI).
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AI literacy really matters because it helps people understand not just how these tools work, but also their social and environmental impacts. The most common being concerns usch as spotting bias in decision, making systems or recognizing the energy demands of large AI models. When students and staff know how to use AI responsibly, they’re better equipped to apply it in ways that support equity and sustainability, whether that’s improving access to information, modeling climate trends, or streamlining campus operations. Here at the UNiversity I work at, the system has put strong guardrails in place: an AI Council to guide governance, adoption of UNESCO’s ethical AI principles and the NIST risk framework, regular reviews of social and environmental impacts, and clear accountability for data privacy and security. We’re also weaving AI literacy into classes and professional development, because equipping people with the knowledge to engage critically and thoughtfully is one of the best ways to ensure AI serves the public good.
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My institution has AI-usage guidelines, postings on how various departments are using AI in their research, and how we are safeguarding sensitive information when using AI.
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How can AI literacy be used to mitigate some of the social and climate challenges of AI?
New technology is usually introduced into the world without ethics or guidance. AI literacy is one step into teaching users the different issues that can arise when using AI and how to handle these issues
What steps is your institution taking to use AI responsibly?
The university has an AI policy. There have been seminars on the topic and discussions among faculty. Faculty also share guidelines and tips.
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We are slowly incorporating AI literacy into a 3 hour general education class (Introduction to Academic Research). Part of that will be the ethics of it, including water and climate impact.
The University has left AI student usage up to professors, but AI is a genie out of the bottle. If AI is free it will get used. If the cost–including energy and climate– were passed on to universities and students, AI would probably be out of reach for most universities and students. Only the very rich Universities, students, and corporations could support the cost of AI -
This section highlights the proactive role that campus libraries can play in addressing the social, legal, and ethical challenges posed by AI. By positioning themselves as hubs of AI literacy, libraries—through roles like AI librarians or similar offices—can guide students and faculty in navigating both the practical uses and potential pitfalls of AI. It emphasizes the importance of institutional support and structured guidance, rather than leaving AI use diffuse and unmonitored across campus.
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AI, is a complimentary tool, use it with wisdom!
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How can AI literacy be used to mitigate some of the social and climate challenges of AI?
-AI literacy will assist people to use AI responsibly.
What steps is your institution taking to use AI responsibly?
– There honestly are no standard measures I know of except that we guide the students to consult with their departments and lecturer on the acceptable use of AI in their particular department or assignment. Apart from that we encourage students to use AI as a thinking buddy, therefore, credible academical sources must always be of first preference. -
How can AI literacy be used to mitigate some of the social and climate challenges of AI?
AI literacy helps people understand how artificial intelligence works, while also understanding the relational impacts of AI in society and on the environment. Once people are aware of this, they can begin to recognize and address discrimination in systems, thereby alleviating various forms of social injustice. It also enables communities to work positively with AI tools to solve climate issues such as disaster prediction, resource management, and environmental research.
What steps is your institution taking to use AI responsibly?
Our institution is doing a variety of things to ensure the responsible use of AI. We are developing policies and practices that embody responsible behaviours, with transparency and accountability at the forefront of AI utilization. By holding training sessions, workshops, and community gatherings, we strengthen the knowledge of our students/staff/researchers regarding the opportunities and pitfalls of responsible AI use. It is essential to engage with research proposals involving AI, ensuring that we are aware of potential impacts on privacy, discrimination, and opportunities.
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With our AI literacy, we share similar things about environmental, labor, privacy, and copyright impacts of AI. Ultimately, we want our community to think critically about generative AI with how and when they decide to use it.
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How can AI literacy be used to mitigate some of the social and climate challenges of AI?
Literacy in AI is critical to promote awareness of the consumption of electricity and water and the potential to increase the digital divide between North and South. Literacy means understanding how tools work and what resources they consume and the companies behind the development and promotion of such tools, especially in education.
What steps is your institution taking to use AI responsibly?
We are forming an AI Community of Practice to evaluate how we will or will not use AI tools in educating our high school students, as well as making them aware of social, environmental and human rights consequences.
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1) How can AI literacy be used to mitigate some of the social and climate challenges of AI?
I think the first step is explaining in simple terms what AI is actually doing. For example, imagine a young person new to using AI on their phone. They might wonder, “Why does my phone get so warm?” or “Why do my parents say the bill is so high when all I do is use AI, text, call, and scroll social media?” A simple explanation would be that using AI requires a lot of computing power, which in turn uses energy and data. That energy has a cost—not just on the bill, but also on the environment. By making those hidden impacts clear, AI literacy can help people make more thoughtful choices about how and when to use AI. On a larger scale, AI literacy also means teaching people to recognize bias, misinformation, and overuse, so they can push for more sustainable and fair practices in the way AI is developed and used.
2)2) What steps is your institution taking to use AI responsibly?
At this time, I’m not sure what we currently have in place. However, I would hope to suggest things like workshops or training courses that explain how AI has great power, but also needs clear regulations that are easy to understand and implement for the student body. If that means creating something like a short TikTok series to explain the rules, then so be it—if that’s how students understand what’s going on and why these guidelines matter. As a university, it’s our job to clearly communicate what is allowed and what isn’t. If we don’t set those boundaries now, how can we be effective when students use AI to prepare for tests, projects, or even review lecture notes they just took? To students, AI is more than just a tool for keeping up their GPA—it can feel like a way of communicating with someone who understands them, and at times may even have more impact than a teacher or faculty member. -
AI literacy can play a critical role in helping individuals and communities understand not only how AI works but also its broader impacts. When students, researchers, and the public are equipped with AI literacy, they are better prepared to question biases in algorithms, recognize the hidden environmental costs of data centers, and advocate for more sustainable and ethical uses of technology. For example, greater awareness of AI’s carbon and water footprint could encourage both policymakers and institutions to adopt greener energy sources and more efficient computing strategies.
At my institution, we are beginning to have open discussions about responsible AI integration. This includes incorporating AI ethics into coursework, emphasizing transparency in how AI tools are used, and exploring guidelines for reducing environmental impact. While still early, these steps create a culture where innovation is balanced with responsibility toward both society and the planet.
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How can AI literacy be used to mitigate some of the social and climate challenges of AI?
AI is used to improve energy efficiency and recycling technology. AI also helps in coming up of more efficient energy hardware and algorithms.What steps is your institution taking to use AI responsibly?
The only way my institution is using AI to change live socially is by training and advocacy on ethical AI use and librarians should boosts by providing guidelines in practice given that information is all over . -
By building awareness and proving knowledge, AI literacy can help users to mitigate all the social and climate challenges of AI technology. Besides, AI literacy helps in maintaining hardware and software issues as well as environmental issues through proving various reliable sources of information. My institution has made and supplied a proper guideline by experts through our central library for responsible usage of AI keeping in mind information ethics, academic integrity and copyright issues of intellectual materials.
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By building awareness and proving knowledge, AI literacy can help users to mitigate all the social and climate challenges of AI technology. Besides, AI literacy helps in maintaining hardware and software issues as well as environmental issues through proving various reliable sources of information. My institution has made and supplied a proper guideline by experts through our central library for responsible usage of AI keeping in mind information ethics, academic integrity and copyright issues of intellectual materials.
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What steps is your institution taking to use AI responsibly?
By building awareness and proving knowledge, AI literacy can help users to mitigate all the social and climate challenges of AI technology. Besides, AI literacy helps in maintaining hardware and software issues as well as environmental issues through proving various reliable sources of information. My institution has made and supplied a proper guideline by experts through our central library for responsible usage of AI keeping in mind information ethics, academic integrity and copyright issues of intellectual materials. -
As was mentioned in the introduction Ai can be used for creating more sustainability in the chemical industry, assisting with analyzing air quality and the idea of AI assisting in the forecasting of natural disasters and optimizing of energy grids. Researchers is also busy with the scraping of media reports and moderating content.
Our institution/university is developing a statement on the use of AI.
IFLA has a Statement on Libraries and AI.
In the library our guide on using AI, includes the following:
Transparency, Inclusivity, Participation, Human Centered and Security. -
By providing awareness and knowledge of using properly AI, AI literacy can help to mitigate some of the social and climate challenges of AI Technology.Besides, we get details update tips from AI for maintaining hardware and software related issues of AI technology. My institution have made and provided a proper guideline to the users for the better utilization of AI in research and academic works. We provide training with using practically in the library adopting AI technology and experts. Users have been guided to maintain academic integrity , copyright and legal issues , information ethics In using AI
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Enhance students’ information literacy and develop their critical thinking to promote the responsible use of AI.
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Continue providing AI literacy to staff and students.
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My institution is presently focused on the ‘academic integrity’ issues and potential violations, rather than addressing copyright/IP , social and environmental issues and impact. Very pleased to read that several institutions are addressing these issues so we can collaborate and seek consistency in higher/vocational educational usage. Wandering if we have an Australian/Oceania focused AI tool that considers local attitudes and sociopolitical content I asked our institutes preferred AI tool (copilot )to respond: “Great question, Desmond. Yes, I do take local, country-specific social and political contexts into account when responding to users—especially when the topic is sensitive, culturally nuanced, or potentially impacted by regional laws, norms, or current events.”
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What steps is your institution taking to use AI responsibly?
We do have guidelines around responsible use of AI, but unfortunately, they do not touch upon the climate and environmental impact of AI systems, or the impact on human rights and third world countries who are impacted by AI labor and the need for computing materials required by data centers and AI processing. I would like to see more development in this space across the board, so it’s not just a few institutions taking it on. -
AI literacy can help users make better decisions on when to offload tasks to AI platforms. Identifying when it’s most appropriate to use these large platforms can in theory reduce the environmental load. Users with AI literacy can better research which platforms fits their needs, cost effectiveness, and sustainability initiatives–if identified–and weigh those factors against the worth of its use. Being able to critically engage with AI tools and platforms is helpful for users to identify bias, incorrect/hallucinated information, when and how much of the output to rely on.
Right now, it is up to each instructor to outline what is and is not appropriate use for their classes/disciplines with the promise of more institutional direction later this year. -
How can AI literacy be used to mitigate some of the social and climate challenges of AI?
It’s really tragic and difficult to be writing about this today as just last night the NY Times reported, and this morning the filing became available, on the lawsuit filed by the parents of Adam Raine against OpenAI and it’s leadership. The details revealed in this document and the reporting on it should give everyone involved and boosting these technologies pause and should bring us all to deeply reconsider how we talk about and encourage engagement with these technologies. I’m trying to be cautious in how I talk about this so as not to unnecessarily distress anyone in these comments, but the story of how Adam Raine went from a casual user of the ChatGPT chatbot for homework help to using it to facilitating the taking of his own life highlights the absolute danger these tools pose as they are allowed to continue to prioritize engagement over user safety.
I want to say that increased AI literacy, namely an awareness of what these technologies are, how they function, and the resources they use should lead potential end users to think twice and think carefully about how and when they are using these technologies. However, if I am being honest with myself, the case of Adam Raine as well as reporting by TechCrunch earlier this week on the sycophancy by design nature of LLM chatbots reminds us all that these companies are copying the same destructive and harmful approach taken by some of the biggest and most destructive social media sites that prioritize engagement and staying on site over the health and well being of users. As much awareness as we raise about the nature of these technologies, we live in a broken community of isolated individuals who are being coaxed and driven to using these technologies at the cost of their own mental health.
If AI Literacy is to mean anything, and I increasingly doubt that it does, it must mean awareness of how these technologies work and who benefits from keeping us on them. I’m probably more pessimistic than Dustin Fife in terms of my belief in the ability for any level of government to be willing and able to push regulation on this industry, but I am hopeful that raising awareness among more people can lead to movements that can change the ground upon which we stand. Librarians should absolutely be players in any such movement and effort, for decades the internet has been encroaching on our institutions, privatizing and fencing off the free flow of information our profession once championed. LLMs are only the latest iteration as they choke out news stations, starve websites of ad revenue, and fully degrade the content of the internet. Educating our communities about what is happening, for whose benefit and at whose expense is absolutely vital.
What steps is your institution taking to use AI responsibly?
I have not seen activity that would suggest such steps are being taken. I see a lot of discussion, but I think there’s just such a lack of surety about what these technologies are or how we can use them in general that the question of responsibility gets overlooked. Of course, there are policies directing students to the code of conduct or definitions of academic misconduct, but much of the bulk of directing the path has been left up to individual faculty. I think conversations are happening, but they aren’t out in the open yet and they have yet to bring in the university as a whole.
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How can AI literacy be used to mitigate some of the social and climate challenges of AI?
Using it for good and using it when other options are nearly exhausted is a good way to do this. It aligns with other models of sustainability: reduce, reuse, recycle – and then try AI. Example: see if someone else has already done what you’re considering through a standard search, and if it looks good, adapt and give credit. If one is in need of new perspectives on the initiative, then turn to AI for ideas.What steps is your institution taking to use AI responsibly?
I feel like I don’t know how the institution as a whole is handling this, but in our instruction, we do discuss the varied ethical issues, impacts, and effects of AI use and model responsible AI use. -
First, having AI literacy, then using AI for specific tasks at specific times, and not just frivolously, makes a big difference. We cannot avoid it entirely, and yet it should not dominate every area of our life and our profession. Mindful use is the best strategy.
My institution is still grappling with finding the balance between vilifying or ignoring AI and how to implement its strategic and conscious use. -
I worry that AI literacy will have the same problems as information literacy has had: if it’s literacy aimed at integrating students and the public into regimes of private enterprise and social control, can it actually mitigate the harms here identified? Or will it deepen the harms and disarm people and communities from resisting or seeking alternatives?
As an example, the lesson this week presents a speculative answer to how AI can improve our approach to the climate crisis, but in order to seek out those speculative benefits, we have to invest deeper into the current harms. That’s got the problem-solving absolutely backward. But it shouldn’t be a surprise that this lesson would repeat these errors because if you’ve been a savvy consumer of AI press, you would have learned about this potential and may not have stopped to reflect on the inherent problems with it. You would have gained AI literacy of a kind, but not of the kind that actually supports your critical analysis or liberated action.
Information literacy has had the same problem. We have had decades of efforts to mitigate the harms of the information society through attempts to educate students and the public about information and how it can be used for good or for ill. Great! Except the promise of information literacy has had little to show for itself in so far as broad social problems have been addressed. When you establish a project of information literacy on the basis of maximizing private profit, you should expect the information of that society to be organized around those private profits.My institution is doing what it sounds like many institutions are doing: groping in the dark, trying to get a handle on implementation in an ad hoc way, and simply expecting the inevitability of AI will catch up with our efforts to incorporate it into how our work is done. It’s the opposite of Fife’s notion that “If you don’t have in-house ethical mechanisms laid out very clearly at this point, you need to stop all of your AI work and do that first.”
I’d love to hear from librarians whose institutions have actually gone the route where they stop all AI work until they put in place an ethical mechanism that could meaningfully act in this capacity. My expectations are: most institutions couldn’t imagine stopping even their piecemeal efforts at AI for the fear of missing out; and those who have an in-house ethical mechanism are already fully captured by the AI hype. I’d like to be wrong, but the history of these institutions offers a rather grim outline for anything we’d call “ethical” from emerging without some serious resistance. -
Like many others, my situation is uncertain. We are learning, attending copyright and other events, both individually and with the institution. We need to collaborate more to reach an appropriate framework!
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Estamos impulsando acciones que favorezcan el derecho al acceso a la información pero respetando los derechos humanos de terceros
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Some human customer service departments have been brought back as AI did not replace human interaction.
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1. Naturally, knowledge is power. And the more knowledge one has on a subject like AI, the more likely one can avoid pitfalls. Especially in areas like mine where digital literacy and proficiency is low, the population at large (not just the student population at my institution) don’t really understand what AI, how it works, and even what powers them (for example, all the human training and how large the data centers are that run the AI in general). Lack of knowledge leads to misuse and potentially misinformation–so AI literacy remains key.
2. Unfortunately, my institution’s AI policies are still in their infancy. But, from what I’ve heard from faculty members, they try to weave in little tidbits when they can. A favorite activity is one where the instructor basically sets their class upon ChatGPT in particular to see how quickly they can make it hallucinate. The goal is to show the shortcomings, and that it can’t be particularly relied upon as a sole source. (ChatGPT is used because it’s the most widely used and widely recognizable to the student population currently)
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I agree with Doug, that at my school the biggest concern seems to be student’s use of AI violating academic integrity. Although, to be fair, there is also the recognition that if employer’s are going to be expecting people to use AI, then we also need to train students how to use it. I am concerned about the environmental impact, and am trying to limit use when it is not necessary. I recalled seeing advice to do a google search adding -AI. I think the thoughtful, intentional use of AI is important – to do the tasks that humans couldn’t do, such as searching the vast amounts of data to solve environmental problems.
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AI literacy helps address social and climate challenges by promoting awareness of bias, protecting privacy, combating misinformation, and encouraging sustainable use of AI technologies. It empowers people to make informed, ethical decisions and demand accountability.
I haven’t really paid attention to how my institution can use AI responsibly; however, if they do, I would imagine ways that can be:
Creating ethical guidelines
Providing AI training
Using energy-efficient models
Encouraging open dialogue
Auditing AI systems regularly -
AI literacy is understanding what AI is, how it works, its capabilities/limitations, and how it can benefit us in various ways, including identifying/preventing bias/misinformation/fake news, understanding the impact on energy consumption, safety/copyright, and promoting a collaborative approach to AI use.
At my institution, we are just starting the discussion of AI. We do not have an institutional/departmental policy on AI. -
1 La alfabetización en IA permite a la comunidad universitaria y a la sociedad comprender, evaluar y aplicar la tecnología de manera crítica y responsable. Aportaciones son conciencia del impacto ambiental (explicar el consumo energético y de agua en el entrenamiento y uso de modelos de IA), transparencia y responsabilidad social (detección de sesgos y discriminaciones algorítmicas, ), promover el uso de IA que respete derechos humanos y equidad, toma de decisiones informada (formar a estudiantes e investigadores en la evaluación crítica de resultados de IA)
2 Ninguna por el momento pero es urgente crear una política institucional clara (Declaración de principios éticos y protocolos para el uso académico de la IA generativa)
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How can AI literacy help us face social and climate challenges?
There are social and climate risks tied to AI particularly regarding bias in decision-making, misinformation, or even the carbon footprint of training massive models.
Building AI literacy is one way to potentially reduce these impacts.Social Risks:
When people understand how AI systems are trained and where bias is a possibility, they’re better equipped to spot unfair outcomes (like biased hiring tools or healthcare algorithms). It also means communities can advocate for transparency, and influence how AI is used in ways that reflect their values.Climate Risks:
Knowing that large-scale AI models have an environmental cost can drive demand for greener practices which include renewable energy use. Equally concerning is that Generative AI can produce convincing but misleading content, potentially fueling climate denial or delaying action on sustainability.If more of us understand AI’s limitations as well as its possibilities, we can make collective choices that steer it toward helping solve social inequities and climate challenges rather than making them worse.
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How can AI literacy be used to mitigate some of the social and climate challenges of AI?
In my library instruction I am trying to fit in information about AI, including ethical considerations regarding the way AI is trained, environmental impact, copyright concerns, etc. I try to indicate that using AI should be done with intentionality – using it to improve research outcomes is appropriate, but maybe reconsider using it to make yourself look like a toy.What steps is your institution taking to use AI responsibly?
AI policy is being discussed and considered, but I’m not sure if much emphasis is being placed on its responsible use, beyond how to discourage using it to write papers and breaking copyright. Once the aspects regarding preventing cheating is addressed, hopefully additional discussion can be placed on ethical usage. -
One of the main problems I see is that AI is being sold as magic. It is being sold as super intelligence, not normal technology. This justifies all kinds of problems in order to reach a goal of a machine smarter than humans.
Thus if you can promise a magical being who can solve everything, you can then justify things like environmental damage, human rights violations and all kinds of thing.
I support the idea of creating an approach to AI which is more human centered and aims to create normal descriptions of how AI works.
AI as Normal Technology by Arvind Narayanan & Sayash Kapoor
https://knightcolumbia.org/content/ai-as-normal-technologyAravand Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor are the authors of AI Snake Oil which is about what AI can and cannot do.
Normalization would be a way to make it easier to address the negative issues surrounding artifiicial intelligence.
The desire for more and more power and water is dangerous. The justification for this needs to be better. It needs to be more focused on reality.
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One of the main problems I see is that AI is being sold as magic. It is being sold as super intelligence, not normal technology. This justifies all kinds of problems in order to reach a goal of a machine smarter than humans.
Thus if you can promise a magical being who can solve everything, you can then justify things like environmental damage, human rights violations and all kinds of thing.
I support the idea of creating an approach to AI which is more human centered and aims to create normal descriptions of how AI works.
AI as Normal Technology by Arvind Narayanan & Sayash Kapoor
https://knightcolumbia.org/content/ai-as-normal-technologyAravand Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor are the authors of AI Snake Oil which is about what AI can and cannot do.
Normalization would be a way to make it easier to address the negative issues surrounding artifiicial intelligence.
The desire for more and more power and water is dangerous. The justification for this needs to be better. It needs to be more focused on reality.
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How can AI literacy be used to mitigate some of the social and climate challenges of AI?
If AI literacy includes a basic understanding of the social and environmental costs of using AI tools, then individual, groups, and organizations can choose whether or not to participate in their use.
What steps is your institution taking to use AI responsibly?
I don’t observe ways my institution is considering the social and environmental impacts and costs of using AI. What I observe is broad concern about students using AI that might violate academic integrity.
Take me to the Table of Contents.
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