Artificial intelligence (AI) is a rapidly evolving science which studies and develops systems to undertake tasks that typically require human intelligence. AI systems learn from data, recognise patterns, and make decisions or predictions based on the data and models they are trained on.
Being AI-literate means understanding not only how these tools work, but also their limitations, opportunities and ethical implications. AI literacy involves an evolving critical awareness of how we are actively and bodily entangled with these technologies. AI is not simply an external tool; it is enmeshed in the infrastructures, platforms, and decisions that shape our actions, identities and environments.
As Kate Crawford, a leading scholar whose work unpicks the political, environmental, economic and social complexities of AI, explains:
Artificial intelligence is not an objective, universal or neutral computational technique that makes determinations without human direction. Its systems are embedded in social, political, cultural and economic worlds, shaped by humans, institutions, and imperatives that determine what they do and how they do it (Crawford, 2021, p. 211).
The library can support you in developing your library and research skills, which will help you to engage critically and responsibly with AI technologies. These skills enable you to:
Most of the tools mentioned in this guide are generative AI (GenAI) tools. If you would like to understand more about how GenAI is trained and generates outputs, we recommend these helpful guides:
Consider the following questions to help you reflect on where you are in your journey with AI.
References
Crawford, K. (2021) The Atlas of AI : Power, Politics, and the Planetary Costs of Artificial Intelligence. New Haven and London: Yale University Press.
Mühlhoff, R. (2025) The ethics of AI : power, critique, responsibility. Bristol: Bristol University Press.