(via Isabella Baxter, University of Maryland)
Registration is open for the ACRL Science & Technology Section Hot Topics webinar “A Thousand Threats, A Thousand Opportunities: A Look at Generative AI”. It will take place on Wednesday, June 14, starting at 1:00 PM CDT. Please see below for more details, including the link to registration.
Generative AI tools such as ChatGPT are impacting library work in a myriad of ways from generating apprehension about bias, misinformation, and authorship to presenting opportunities for saving staff time and providing students, faculty, and researchers with new ways to enhance their work. Please join the ACRL STS Hot Topics committee in discussing how STEM librarians can leverage the tools of generative AI to support students and researchers while simultaneously grappling with the ongoing ethical concerns.
The session will feature brief speaker presentations, followed by Q&A. Our speakers will be:
- Mark Chalmers (MLIS), is a Science and Engineering Librarian at the University of Cincinnati where he serves as the liaison librarian for physics, mathematics, and multiple engineering departments. Mark coordinates the University of Cincinnati’s coding workshop program and is exploring the use of generative AI in coding instruction and other STEM library work.
- TJ Ferill (MPA), serves as the Assistant Head of Creative Spaces at the University of Utah’s J. Willard Marriott Library, overseeing operations related to 3D printing, virtual reality, and other emerging makerspace activities. With a background in computer science and philosophy, T.J. has a longstanding interest in artificial intelligence. His participation in the 2022 IDEA/IMLS Institute on AI allowed him to explore the intricacies of AI adoption in libraries, including potential opportunities, challenges, and risks.
- Mohammad Hosseini (PhD), is a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Preventive Medicine (Health and Biomedical Informatics) at Northwestern University where he collaborates with the Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (NUCATS) and the Institute for Augmented Intelligence in Medicine (I.AIM) and is currently based at Galter Health Sciences Library & Learning Center in Chicago. Mohammad is committed to the promotion of ethical approaches in various research areas to ensure that research is conducted responsibly and without harming societies’ trust.
Speaker presentations will be recorded. Please add your questions to the Google Doc by Thursday, June 1, so we can share them with the presenters ahead of time and to provide for a fertile discussion.
Please register for the discussion at this link.
If you have questions about the event please email the STS Hot Topics co-chairs, Isabella Baxter, ibaxter@umd.edu, and Sandy Avila, sandya@spie.org.