Topic of the Month – Generative AI, Access and the Role of Libraries
In higher education, much of the conversation about generative AI focuses on productivity, assessment and the future of work. Yet some of the most important questions are about access, inclusion and who benefits from these technologies.
AI has the potential to transform far more than teaching, learning and administrative processes. It is already changing how researchers search for, and analyse, and synthesise, information, how students learn and study, how academics design assessment and how universities deliver services. Used thoughtfully, AI can help remove barriers, support creativity and problem-solving, accelerate research and create nuanced opportunities for learning.
However, access to AI is not universal. Not everyone has access to the same tools, infrastructure, training or support. Access to advanced AI tools, institutional licences, reliable technology and the skills needed to use these systems effectively varies considerably across our communities. As universities embrace AI, there is a risk that existing inequalities may be widened rather than reduced.
This concern is increasingly being recognised across the higher education sector. The Australian Framework for Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education highlights the importance of inclusive implementation, equity and ethical innovation, while the OECD has warned that AI could deepen existing educational divides if access and capability development are not addressed.
For universities, the challenge is not simply providing access to AI tools. It is ensuring that students and researchers develop the knowledge and confidence to use them critically and responsibly. AI literacy is becoming as important as information literacy. Knowing how to ask good questions, evaluate outputs, verify information and recognise limitations may be just as important as access to the technology itself.
Some of the most compelling examples of AI are not about productivity or efficiency. They are about people. Whilst AI discussions often focus on generative modes, so–called “narrow AI” continues to play an important and valuable role in people’s lives every day. It’s easy to become caught up in debates about assessment, automation and the future of work and overlook the human impact these technologies can have.
A BBC report about Sarah Ezekiel, who is living with motor neurone disease and lost her natural speaking voice more than 20 years ago, is a good example. Using a VHS recording she had kept, AI tools were used to recreate her voice, allowing her to continue communicating in a way that still sounded recognisably like her. Amid all the discussion about productivity, efficiency, and disruption, it was a powerful reminder that AI can do much more than generate text, images, or code. It can help people maintain connection, identity, independence and dignity.
Such examples remind us that conversations about AI should not focus solely on what the technology can do but on who it helps, who is excluded, and how its benefits can be shared more equitably.
Libraries have always played a role in reducing barriers to information, learning and participation. As AI becomes increasingly embedded in education, research and everyday life, libraries have an important role to play in helping people develop the critical thinking, digital literacy, and AI literacy skills needed to navigate a rapidly changing information environment. In many ways, it’s a new technology challenge built on work libraries have been doing all along, just with fewer catalogues and considerably more algorithms.
At Griffith, we’re already seeing this in practice through initiatives such as LearnWise, RED workshops and resources that support students, researchers and staff to engage with AI critically and responsibly. Access to technology is important but so are the skills and confidence needed to use it well, including a fair opportunity to benefit from AI and its use.
