Survey Results from the Library 2.0 2026 "What You Need to Know About AI and Libraries" Event + Session Recording Link

SESSION RECORDING:

Click HERE to watch the recorded session. You need to be a member (free) of Library 2.0 to access the recording.

SURVEY RESULTS:

We received 1395 submissions (registrations for the event + survey responses). Here are the results.

What are your biggest concerns about AI (personal and/or work-related)?  (Summary)

• Impact on Critical Thinking and Skills: A major concern is the decline of critical thinking, research, and writing skills, particularly among students, due to over-reliance on AI for assignments and tasks, leading to "dumbing down" of the future workforce and electorate.

• Misinformation and Accuracy: Frequent mentions of AI "hallucinations," "fake news," and the spread of misinformation/disinformation, including deepfakes, raise concerns about the validity, accuracy, and trustworthiness of AI-generated content, making it difficult to discern truth from falsehood.

• Job Displacement and Workforce Impact: Many respondents are concerned about job loss, mass unemployment, and the potential for AI to replace workers, especially as management may overestimate AI's current capabilities.

• Ethical, Privacy, and Security Issues: Significant concerns revolve around data privacy and security, copyright infringement (especially the theft of intellectual property from artists/creators), and the ethical use and bias embedded in AI models.

• Environmental Impact: The negative environmental consequences of AI, including the significant energy and water consumption by data centers, are a frequently mentioned concern.

• Speed of Development and Lack of Regulation: The rapid development of AI technology is concerning because it is outpacing regulation, oversight, and people's ability to keep up with the changes and understand the implications.

What is most exciting to you about AI (personal and/or work-related)?  (Summary)

• Efficiency and Time Savings: A large number of respondents are excited about AI's potential to save time, increase efficiency and productivity, and automate or streamline mundane, routine, or tedious tasks, both personally and professionally. This includes help with administrative work, coding, organizing, data analysis, and creating documents/presentations.

• Idea Generation and Creativity: Many respondents view AI as a useful tool for brainstorming, generating ideas, creating content (like writing drafts, emails, social media posts, images), and enhancing creativity.

• Advancements in Science and Medicine: A significant number of responses highlight the exciting implications of AI for medical diagnostics, scientific discoveries, solving big global problems (e.g., climate change, disease), and processing large datasets in fields like astrophysics.

• Information and Learning Support: Respondents are interested in AI's ability to quickly synthesize, summarize, and retrieve information, assist with research and literature searches, and provide support for learning, including for students and those with special needs.

• Potential and Possibilities: A recurring theme is the sheer potential and vast possibilities of AI technology, with a desire to learn more about its applications and to use it as a powerful new tool in various aspects of life and work.

Comments on any of the topics or things that we might have missed that you would like us to be focused on? (Summary)

• Ethical Concerns and Negative Impacts: A significant number of responses highlighted concerns about the ethics of AI, including environmental impact, intellectual property theft, privacy, potential for scams and general abuses, surveillance, and the broader negative societal effects. Many also mentioned the need for clear ethical guidance, policies (especially for academic libraries), and actively advocating against these harms.

• Practical Application and Use Cases in Libraries: Respondents frequently asked for specific, practical examples of how AI can be used effectively in various library settings, including cataloging, technical services, research, reporting, and general library operations. There was also interest in building custom LLMs for libraries.

• Information Literacy and Training: A major theme was the need to educate users (students, patrons, older adults, and even staff) on AI literacy, including how to use it ethically, how to apply critical thinking when evaluating AI results, recognizing AI-generated content (like books/covers), and training users to retain a healthy level of skepticism regarding issues like hallucinations and misinformation.

• Policy and Institutional Guidance: There is a request for guidance on establishing clear institutional policies regarding AI use, especially in academic libraries where faculty opinions vary and students are starting to use it.

• Basic Understanding and Fear Mitigation: Several respondents expressed a need for basic, simply stated information about AI, acknowledging they are new to the topic, want to overcome fear, and understand "how real the hype is."