Martin De Saulles.
Norma Menabrey.
Suvodeep Mazumdar. Gary Horrocks.
opportunities it brings to the ethical dilemmas it poses, the picture remains unclear for many individuals and organisations. Rewired will look at AI from all angles assisting delegates on their own AI journeys. Gary adds: “We’re all aware that while AI offers enormous opportunities and benefits there are still key concerns over the dearth of strategies, regulation and prioriti- sation; the ambiguity and lack of transparency; the ethical and green AI issues. Rewired 2026 will focus on the threatening storm clouds forming over AI, shining a light on significant developments to address these negatives.
“It was obvious from previous Rewired events that the chang- ing digital landscape needs to be underpinned by a robust, high quality, transparent and trustworthy data, information and knowledge sharing infrastructure. The 2026 online event takes this theme one step further. AI will run as a thread throughout the day, embracing data, digital skills and innovation.”
Other themes
The programme is beginning to take shape and Gary is keen to include a broad spread of topics and themes that cut across different sectors in the profession. Rewired 2026 is set to be a flagship event in CILIP’s calendar this year and organisers are keen to ensure delegates will have plenty of opportunities to explore areas of interest and uncover new insights to help them look further into how technology is developing for those working in the information and knowledge arenas. As with its AI themes, ethics and values will underpin practical sessions, giving all those using new tools a solid grounding and understanding of the issues that arise with new ways of working. Rewired’s core ethos since its inception has been around developing skills for now and into the future. It looks at the knowledge needed to develop your own skills at your own pace, helping you decide which tools are the right ones for you and your organisation. Rewired has something for everyone no matter what your experience – from the tech curious and those sitting on the sidelines wondering how they fit into the brave new world, to power AI-users and sector leaders who are working at the cutting edge of new technology.
This year’s programme features eight sessions across the day, and will draw on industry expertise, professional knowledge and experience to offer a balanced programme for anyone looking to improve their grip on how and why technology is shaping the profession.
Gary says: “The major context of the event will be responses to the dominance of Big Tech in the hands of a handful of individuals alongside the volatility and unpredictability of the US, catalys- ing the momentum towards sovereignty and autonomy. The
August-September 2026
programme will address Generative AI and Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) and the rise of medium and small domain specific UK Language models using trusted data. “Speakers will address the momentum building for sovereign data sets and data ownership. We’ll explore developments in open-source solutions that enable flexibility and agility. We’ll delve into AI-supported coding and the democratisation and demystification of programming skills.
“The afternoon will address the practical implementation of AI in library and information settings, with state-of-the-art pres- entations on developments in digital taxonomies, information architecture and natural language processing. These topics are all game changing developments for the profession, and I’m so proud on behalf of UKeiG to be collaborating with the CILIP team on developing this exciting programme.” UkeiG Chair John Wickenden sees support for the Rewired programme as a natural progression from the Group’s online CPD programme, saying: “Rewired 2026 will be of relevance to delegates from any sector. Furthermore, the trends, challenges and opportunities it showcases will go beyond librarianship and resonate with information, knowledge and data managers.”
Confirmed speakers Data Sovereignty
Martin De Saulles, Technology Analyst and Writer. AI at work
Norma Menabrey, Subject Librarian, Queen’s University Belfast. AI-supported coding
Dr Suvodeep Mazumdar, Senior Lecturer, School of Information and Communication, Programme Leader MSc Data Science, The University of Sheffield. IP
l Rewired 2026 takes place on 19 November and will be fully online. You can register your interest now at
www.librariesrewired.org.uk.
‘‘
The major context of the event will be responses to the dominance of Big Tech in the hands of a handful of individuals alongside the volatility and unpredictability of the US, catalysing the momentum towards sovereignty and autonomy. – Gary Horrocks
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