ETHICAL, LEGAL AND PROFESSIONAL IMPLICATIONS OF GENERATIVE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN LIBRARY AND INFORMATION PRACTICE

Abstract

The study examined the ethical, legal, and professional implications of generative artificial intelligence (GAI) in library and information practice, focusing on librarians in Nigerian tertiary institutions. A quantitative descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted using multistage sampling, with 220 questionnaires distributed and 215 correctly completed and returned (97.7% response rate). Data were collected with a validated questionnaire (Cronbach’s alpha 0.79) and analysed using SPSS for frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations. Findings showed high awareness that GAI raises ethical concerns (mean 3.96) and moderate to high understanding of ethical risks such as bias, misinformation, copyright, and privacy (means 3.64–3.53), although overall perceived knowledge remained limited (3.21). Librarians strongly agreed that GAI may mislead users, undermine academic integrity, and perpetuate bias (means up to 3.95), and expressed concerns about critical thinking and fairness. Legal worries centred on plagiarism (3.97), data privacy (3.89), and uncertain ownership of AI-generated outputs (3.54). Professionally, respondents anticipated significant changes to roles (3.67), recognised the need for new competencies such as AI literacy (4.06), and believed GAI could enhance effectiveness under clear guidelines (3.98). However, governance was perceived as weak, with low mean scores for institutional AI policies, library-specific guidelines, and oversight structures (mean = 2.5). The study concludes that librarians are aware of both the risks and opportunities of GAI but operate in contexts with inadequate governance and support. It recommends investment in AI literacy, development of clear policies and governance frameworks, and active involvement of librarians in shaping responsible GAI use in library information practice.