This post is the first in a multi-part series on artificial intelligence.
You might remember the video that was everywhere this past July of the cute bunnies jumping on a backyard trampoline at night caught by a home security camera? The caption read, “Just checked the home security cam and… I think we’ve got guest performers out back!”
It was late on a Friday night as I scrolled through my Instagram feed to unwind that I came across the video. It was adorable and feel-good. These little fluffy bunnies were jumping around like little kids having the time of their lives. It was just the right kind of wholesome moment I needed after a long week, and I immediately shared it with my husband because I wanted him to feel the same lift. Not only was he not impressed, but after a whole two seconds, he said flatly, “It’s fake.”
I immediately retorted, “No, it’s not” more out of sheer disbelief that I could have actually fallen for a fake video than because I genuinely believed it was real. He said, “Yes, it is. Read the comments.” To my utter shame and mortification, the video sure was fake; it was an AI-generated video. I have been a librarian for 20 years and am now the Digital Literacy Consultant at the Texas State Library and Archives Commission. How could this have happened to me??
As it turns out, moments like this are becoming more and more common. The reality is that there is a new technology that has seemingly permeated every aspect of our digital lives and it’s only getting more sophisticated. Generative artificial intelligence is everywhere now, and no one is completely immune to being fooled or from encountering it in the tools we use every day.
This isn’t the first time technology has challenged our profession, and it won’t be the last. Every major technological change has pushed librarians to adapt, and every time, we’ve stepped up as guides. Generative artificial intelligence (AI for short) is no different. Our patrons are already using it, exploring it, and sometimes misunderstanding it. AI is here to stay, and we can’t sit on the sidelines because we’re afraid of it or don’t understand it.
The good news is that we don’t have to be AI experts. We just have to be willing to explore, ask questions, and guide others. The more we understand these tools, the better we can help our patrons use them safely and responsibly.
So let’s start at the beginning. To help our communities navigate this new landscape, we need to understand a few basics. Whether you’re new to AI or knee-deep in it, establishing a shared understanding will help us better support our communities.
Things to Know about Generative AI
Artificial intelligence has been around for a long time, Alan Turing laid the foundational work in the 1950s, but today we are specifically talking about generative AI.
- Generative AI is a specific type of artificial intelligence that creates new text, pictures, or sounds when you ask it, rather than just process or categorize information.
- The terms LLMs (large language models) and chatbots are used interchangeably, but they’re not quite the same thing. An LLM is the model trained on huge amounts of text and a chatbot is the tool that lets people talk to the model in a conversational way; the model generates responses, it doesn’t retrieve information. For example, ChatGPT is a chatbot that runs on OpenAI’s LLM.
- FYIs:
- GPT stands for Generative Pre-Trained Transformer.
- ChatGPT is currently the most popular chatbot. *Source: Zapier, “The best AI chatbots in 2026,” 2025
- Other chatbots include Claude, Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, Grok, and Meta AI
- FYIs:
- It is an arrival technology. Authors Michael Hanegan and Chris Rosser in Generative AI and Libraries explain that, “An arrival technology fundamentally reshapes society regardless of individual choice or adoption.”
- Examples: electricity, telephone, internet
- Speed of adoption from launch to 100 million users:
- Telephone: 75 years
- Internet: 7 years
- ChatGPT: 2 months *Source: Reuters, “ChatGPT sets record for fastest-growing user base,” 2023
- AI is not human. It doesn’t think, it predicts patterns based on what it’s been trained on. As AI becomes more advanced and begins to sound more lifelike, people are increasingly treating it like a human, trusting it implicitly, forming emotional attachments, and believing that everything it says is true and accurate.
This video from Common Sense Media offers a clear, accessible explanation of AI. It’s geared toward teens but is helpful for people of all ages: www.commonsense.org/education/videos/what-is-ai.
Why is AI-Generated Content Spreading So Fast?
AI-generated content is spreading so quickly because of tools that make it remarkably easy to create images, videos, and sound by just entering a text prompt. Remember those bouncing bunnies? They were created by a simple text prompt. No animation or video editing skills required.
In preparation for a presentation I was doing on AI this past summer, I tested Google’s Nano Banana image generator and was blown away. The results were extremely impressive and very amusing. I uploaded this picture of me and entered the prompt, “Add Jason Momoa hugging me and remove my glasses:
Take a look at this!
It took Nano Banana literally less than a minute to generate this image. It’s no wonder the internet is suffocating with AI content.
However, it didn’t get everything quite right. I sent the image to a good friend who loves Jason Momoa with the message, “Look who I met.” Within seconds she texted back, “You forgot the tattoos” followed by, “Haha amateur.” It was a funny moment but also a reminder that no matter how impressive AI tools are, they still get things wrong.
There are tools that are equally easy to use to create other AI-generated content like videos, music, narration, and even video games. Some of the most popular tools include:
- Veo 3.1 – video generator
- Sora 2 – video and audio generator
- ElevenLabs – voice generator (speech, narration, and character voices)
- Suno – music generator (full songs with vocals and instruments)
- Midjourney – image generator
Because these tools are fast and easy, accessible to everyone (free or low-cost), and can be shared easily, AI-generated content is spreading online faster than you can say generative artificial intelligence.
Where to Begin? Helpful AI Resources for You and Your Patrons
AI is transforming how we find, create, and share information, and librarians have a vital role in guiding their communities through it. But remember, we don’t have to be AI experts to guide the people we serve. Fortunately, there is now an abundance of reliable resources available both for our own learning and for use with patrons. Below is a short list to get you started:
- TN State Library & Archives’ An Introduction to Generative AI in Public Libraries
- Elements of AI (University of Helsinki)
- Google’s Introduction to Generative AI
- 30 Days of GenAI (5 Minutes a Day) by Coursera
- WebJunction’s series on AI for public library staff
- Generative AI and Libraries: Claiming Our Place in the Center of a Shared Future – I can’t recommend this book enough! It’s a great guide for librarians. It demystifies AI and makes a compelling case for why libraries should be at the forefront of this new technology and not on the sidelines.
Leading through Change
It’s true that there is much to be concerned about regarding AI, but there is also a lot of potential for meaningful impact. As Michael Hanegan and Chris Rosser write in Generative AI and Libraries:
“Libraries must lead by example in demonstrating how to thoughtfully incorporate AI while staying true to core values and human-centered purpose […] As we witness the fundamental reshaping of human learning, work, and the social fabric, libraries have a unique responsibility to step forward. This isn’t about asserting dominance or claiming territory, but about actively embracing our role as trusted guides and ethical stewards.”
Understanding the basics of AI is just the beginning. Whether you’re just starting to explore AI or are actively using it, we’ll all continue to encounter more “bunnies on a trampoline” moments. The key is to stay informed, stay curious, and continue learning alongside our patrons rather than avoiding AI or feeling like we have to know all the answers.
Questions? Let’s connect! Have a tool to share? Send it my way and I’ll spotlight staff picks!
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