Charting New Waters Navigating AI Discourse in Libraries- Blackburn, Watkins, & Magee

Charting New Waters: Navigating AI Discourse in Libraries through the Science Salon Series
Heidi Blackburn, Computing Librarian, George Mason University Libraries
Trevor Watkins, Outreach & Teaching Librarian, George Mason University
Chris Magee, Social Sciences Librarian, George Mason University

The word salon is French, originally meaning "reception room." In 1800's France, the meaning grew to include a "gathering of elegant people" occurring regularly in such a room. Rather than focusing on building skills or producing deliverables, it encourages philosophical debate and engagement in current events and ideas as they expand.

In 2023, George Mason University Libraries initiated an internal summer salon series, inspired by historical science salons as forums for intellectual exchange. This series aimed to cultivate open dialogue among library staff regarding the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in higher education and society. The salons encouraged philosophical discourse and engagement with contemporary issues, particularly surrounding technologies like ChatGPT.

Over three months, six scholarly discussions delved into the effects of AI tools on libraries, higher education, and society. Subject librarians facilitated these community-building sessions, both online and in-person. The success of the summer series led to its expansion into a campus-wide initiative for 2023-2024, covering diverse topics such as "AI in the Social Sciences and STEM," "AI in Business and Government," "AI, Ethics, and Academic Integrity," and "AI, Biases, and Prejudices," among others. Recognizing the need for further opportunities for discourse, the organizers transitioned to offering the salons in both in-person and Zoom-only formats. This shift toward a salon-style approach proved pivotal in fostering comprehensive conversations and involving the broader university community in exploring AI's interdisciplinary and intersectional impacts.

This presentation will focus on adopting a science salon format for discussions on ChatGPT and similar tools. It will outline the outcomes of the salon series and its potential applications in libraries of all sizes, addressing marketing strategies, assessment methods, and providing recommendations based on insights gained from these gatherings. Real-time accessible slides will be available for participants to download during the presentation.