A Case for Ethical Artificial Intelligence Use in Tanzania’s Academic Libraries

Abstract

This study explored the need for guidelines to enhance ethical use of Artificial Intelligence in academic libraries.  Three objectives guided the study: first, to determine awareness of ethical challenges; second, to identify ethical challenges associated with AI use; and third, to explore the need for guidelines to enhance the ethical use of AI in academic libraries. The study was conducted at universities; librarians completed the questionnaire, and library directors were involved in the interviews. The findings show that librarians are aware of the ethical challenges posed by AI in service provision. Ethical challenges identified include biases, discrimination, information access inequality, digital divides, exclusion, misinformation, privacy violations, lack of accountability, violations of dignity, violations of human rights, and gender inequality. Findings also show that directors and most librarians noted a need for guidelines. Ethical aspects to be considered in the guideline include the integrity of information, confidentiality, privacy, control of misinformation, transparency, accountability, respect, human rights, and human dignity. The study concludes that to meet the challenges associated with AI use, mechanisms are needed to monitor and guide the ethical use of AI technologies in academic libraries. The study recommends that universities develop ethical guidelines to enhance the ethical use of AI in library service provision.