Applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Libraries

Introduction

Artificial intelligence (AI) is an aspect of computational science that is concerned with making machines provide answers to complicated and difficult issues in a way that humans do. Human cognitive characteristics are appropriated, modelled, and integrated as algorithms in a manner that computers understand and can process to give an output or result. In its logical approach, Artificial Intelligence is a neural network, which is a network of artificial neurons or nodes that mimics the human biological processes of neurons. It was developed in a system to imitate the structural organisation of the neural activities of humans. The neural network collectively generates informed decisions as they pass from one to the other. It models biological processes and makes best guesses as they process data. Neural networks are hence a certain form of machine learning system, which is an AI system. Artificial intelligence started as a field in the 1950s and its application to libraries started in the 1990s.

Organisations and institutions must adapt to evolving technology to suit their end-user demands in the twenty-first century, which is an era of rapid transition and technological development. Artificial intelligence in libraries can be considered as a collection of techniques that enable machines to detect, understand, behave, learn, and execute administrative activities, providing libraries with cutting-edge technologies. Librarianship as a profession is known for incorporating cutting-edge technologies not just for information dissemination. Artificial Intelligence has become the new emerging trend for libraries. Artificial intelligence has proven to be a breakthrough for information-driven sectors such as law, health, commerce, the auto industry, etc.

Artificial intelligence is an extensive, comprehensive field of study that non-specialists often find it difficult to grasp without some basic knowledge. AI has brought about new prospects for expanding research in all areas. New systems are now being developed by researchers to mimic librarians’ thought processes and exhibit human behaviours which were before impossible. ICT devices, computer systems, and other gadgets are progressively becoming technologically advanced and are built to reason and function as humans do, also with the perception of Human Intelligence (HI) getting transformed into Artificial Intelligence (AI). Tacit human knowledge has to be extracted and used to build an intelligent system (that is, to build an AI device, relevant characteristics and knowledge are first extracted from human experts, and these characteristics and knowledge are often heuristic in nature). Computer-based products and services are applied and used for various library operational processes as well as to provide different library services and produce output products. The application of artificially intelligent systems will help simulate human decision making. Library intelligent systems utilise AI tools to provide patrons with knowledge-based services (Asemi and Asemi, 2018).

Artificial intelligence is widely spread and should be adopted and applied to the library. The rate of its application in libraries, especially in Africa, is slow. The application of these intelligent systems can mostly be found in academic libraries through the use of various library processes in the library. The major impact of AI application shows its real significance on our society rather than in its technological exploits. The goal the application of AI seeks to achieve is to automate the tasks of human beings. Until lately, several individuals have begun to realise that machines can complete or execute activities as difficult as interpretation or self-driving cars (ALA, 2019). This applies also to the provision and use of library information resources and services, as artificial intelligence and its aspects can be of immense help to achieving the goals and objectives of the library.