AUSTIN, TX\u2014The Collaborative Institute for Rural Communities & Librarianship (CIRCL) today announced the launch of the SLAAIT Project. The State Libraries and AI Technologies Working Group is a joint project of 14 state libraries and the Gigabit Libraries Network to understand the opportunities, challenges, and risks associated with AI and the library sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cArtificial Intelligence (AI) has already profoundly changed the way people find information, communicate, produce media, and learn about the world. AI will continue to change work; from automation in manufacturing, to how energy is distributed across a smart grid, to the use of generative AI to produce marketing, the workforce of our states will change,\u201d according to the SLAAIT web site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Participating state library agencies to date are from: Texas, Georgia, Iowa, New Jersey, Colorado, Washington, Hawaii, Delaware, New York, North Carolina, Arizona, Tennessee, Michigan and Ohio. Participation remains open and more states are anticipated to join. \u201cIt feels like we are at another seminal crossroads in libraries and access to information,\u201d says Jennifer Nelson, New Jersey State Librarian.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Following the release of a federal executive order in October, an increasing number of state governments are also proposing or implementing new regulations and guidelines for the use of AI. This is creating a demand for strategic response from the state library agencies. \u201cWe\u2019re so appreciative of Don and David\u2019s leadership to ensure that Delaware Libraries, and all libraries,
can continue to stay ahead of the curve as technology evolves!\u201d says Dr. Annie Norman, State Librarian of Delaware.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
More information on the project can be found at https:\/\/slaait.circl.community<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n