clarity, and which prompts us to re-con- sider our direction amidst uncertainty. [At this Conference] we are exploring how our North Star ethical principles help us navi- gate the opportunities and the challenges we face. Our speakers are shining a light on a series of critical issues and controversies. As we sit around the table in the evenings, we – like society as a whole – can surely smell the coffee? We are living through a period of such significant societal tran- sition that we might risk sinking into doomscrolling or become absorbed with existential threats. Let us do neither. The essence of existentialism is that because we are free, we are also inherently respon- sible.” (Read more from Sue on p. 17) The statistics about the impact of AI
use on the environment are alarming (see p. 36) . I wrote recently that the ultimate AI dilemma lies at the heart of the green carbon footprint agenda, indeed the future of our planet. What are the ethical considerations of sustaining Big Tech? A recent newspaper reported that a new UK AI data centre will emit as much Co2 as five airports. (CILIP’s Green Libraries Conference will explore these and other themes around sustainability – see p. 30). Is it necessary to squander this energy-use pillaging and destroying the creative industries? Regulation should define its ethical use and prioritise key areas for development, biomedical science being an obvious example. I don’t want fake photos, fake music or fake voices. Sebastian Cuttill, Parliamentary & Campaigns Manager, News Media Association made an om- inous observation. If we carry on down this dangerous path, there will be no more information left to manage. We exist in a profession that must amplify its voice, evidence its value and impact and showcase its expertise in order to survive. In this artificial age of information, the integrity and quality of data, information and knowledge is under threat. Sebastian highlighted the “corrosive effect of AI”. The rumbustiousness of a technology that has the huge potential to empower decision-making but threatens to destruct trusted information systems and intellectual property. Sue Lacey Bryant commented on the importance of skilling-up our sector in data analysis so that we have the skills to leverage the data to deliver our key messages.
AI intersections
The whole AI and copyright landscape is a regulatory nightmare. CILIP CEO Louis Coiffait-Gunn alongside Sebastian, Naomi Korn (Naomi Korn Associates) and Jane Secker, (University of London) oversaw a panel discussion on the topic. Grappling with the impact of AI is like pinning jelly to a wall or ‘nailing down water.’ Louis, tongue in cheek, referenced the good old
52 INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL
CILIP CEO Louis Coiffait-Gunn captures a Conference selfie with Sebastian Cutill, Jane Secker and Naomi Korn.
days. “Bring back the good old Microsoft paper clip.” (You may recall it. Clippy. An irritating pop-up virtual assistant launched in 1990s.) Now AI is embedded in all our MS platforms whether we like it or not… Imposed on us through spell checking and predictive text hell; ubiq- uitous, with no opportunity to reject it. There are immense intellectual property and data protection tensions at the heart of AI. The profound attack on the creative industries is omnipresent in the media. The flagrant “theft of content” is seemingly supported by the government. Having a cross-sectoral oversight is crucial to survey the domain specific impact of AI, and CILIP is well placed to oversee that. Law, health, research, teaching – each with its own set of AI challenges. AI, for example, has exacerbated anxiety and caused immense confusion in further and higher education, throwing a grenade into the heart of the academic and learning ecosystem, even devaluating the very purpose of learning. When you have a technology that writes your essays and
marks your essays, is it time to abandon the classroom? Have we reached a new age that heralds the “end of experts?” Is ChatGPT making us thicker? Eroding our ability to think critically? Is it time to curb the power of Big Tech?
Information integrity
The information profession isn’t hermet- ically sealed from the real world and a presentation on Data Modification and Access Removal in the United States was terrifying in many respects. Here we have an attack on nomenclature. The doctoring and censoring of bibliographic content. One hundred and eighty or so words that the current US government doesn’t like. Does it spell the death of taxonomy and metadata?
The international biomedical research community relies heavily of the US National Library of Medicine’s core central database PubMed. The medical subject headings (MESH) that underpin it are fundamental to comprehensive information retrieval. Suddenly Equality and Diversity, Trans Rights, so called Wokeness, are public enemy number one. Meanwhile, researchers in the US are being compelled to conjure euphemisms to avoid the terminological blacklist in fear of losing crucial funding. Advocacy and strong leadership are our weapon in the face of such attacks on intellectual freedom. Rebecca Lawrence, CEO of the British Library, emphasised the toughness required of being a leader, and the power of resilience in the face of a vulnerable world engineered by machine learning and cyber threats.
Andrew Cox (University of Sheffield) introduced us to Agentic AI, the next generation of super powered tools. The blurb proclaims that “Agentic AI refers to AI systems composed of agents that can make autonomous decisions and act
Autumn 2025
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