Core Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Libraries Interest Group

I hope everyone who traveled to ALA is now back safe and sound. I thought it'd be nice to give folks a discrete space to talk about anything at ALA they sat in on/saw/heard that they felt was relevant, and also highlight a couple of things I know of.

Maybe the biggest thing with a minimum of attention was that Council passed a resolution to adopt Guidance on the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Libraries, an effort of ALA's AI Working Group co chaired by @Charles McAuley and @Edward Sanchez (disclaimer: I was one of the members there representing ALA Core). It was a long process getting drafted and much credit due to all the working group members, as well as to Chip and Ed for bringing it all together!

Before the conference started, I found myself flipping through the special edition of American Libraries Magazine in the registration area and found this article by @Elizabeth Szkirpan: "5 Questions to Ask Your Vendors about AI " -- all in all, a good piece and reminder that we should be asking questions of our vendors and demanding answers when they aren't readily available!

There were also a lot of sessions covering AI there, as previously shared in the Big Honkin' List of LAAC 2026 AI sessions (and posters). I didn't get as much time as I hoped to check out too many because of the various sessions/panels  I participated in and other commitments, but I'd love to hear folks' thoughts re: things they saw/heard/sat in on if they'd been able to sit in on any. (now that I know one can tag users in posts, a small part of me wants to go through that list and just tag all ALA members I find, but another, more responsible part of me knows that's not a great way to make friends).

I also got to sit in on the AIRUS session though co-hosted by @Melissa Del Castillo, and I thought it was a good opportunity to see how folks across institutions are approaching AI in their own work lives. Unlike previous years and conferences, the AI&ML in Libraries Interest Group didn't have a meet up at this year's ALA because of scheduling conflicts, but I'm happy to host some virtual events if folks would be interested! I've personally been thinking about vendor lock-in and what that provides vs. what it prevents & would love to chat with others about that, but I'm also very open to other topics. 

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Peter Musser
Chair, ALA Core IG for Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Libraries

Head, Library Services
ISKME
He/Him/His
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As Core Division Councilor, I was very excited to see the work from the AI Policy Working Group, which showcases the diverse interest and expertise we have in our organization. 

With the Guidance adopted, I see a great opportunity for continuing education programming related to AI policies. On the Council floor, there was some discussion about the specific AI challenges faced by school librarians, and there are the perennial topics of how to use this ALA Guidance to develop local policies, and to advocate in our organizations and with third-party vendors. 

I would love to see collaboration between AI/ML technical experts and other groups like AASL on next steps!

At Council, we also discussed how, because AI is such a fast-moving target, we are already looking at what might need to be revised in the policy going forward.

Thanks to Peter and other AI/ML members who were part of the working group!

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Levi Fleming (He/Him/His)
Scholarly Communications Librarian
University of Tennessee Chattanooga
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