Dean and University Librarian of the University of Cincinnati Libraries in the United States of America, Ms. Elizabeth Kiscaden has underscored the ethical use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) among university students, calling for responsible adoption of the technology in academic settings.
She stressed that while AI technologies such as ChatGPT and other generative tools are rapidly transforming how students access information, they must be approached with a sense of responsibility and academic integrity.
Speaking exclusively to ATL FM News at the side-line of a seminar for senior members of the University of Cape Coast Library System, she emphasized that students must understand that it should support learning, not do the thinking for them.
She urged both faculty and students to treat AI as a complementary tool warning against it misuse (data in, data out) and stressed the need to teach ethical application alongside technical skills.
“So one of the emphasis of the University of Cincinnati’s AI initiative is ethical use of AI, because it’s very easy to misuse it. Essentially, it’s like any algorithm, data in, data out. And so I think that’s something that we need to teach people to do as a part of teaching them how to use the tools,” she said
Ms. Kiscaden also touched on the benefits of her visit to the University and the memorandum of Understanding signed between the University of Cincinati Libraries (UCL) and the University of Cape Coast Library System.
She outlined the framework of expertise from both institutions, research project collaborations, training plans, knowledge sharing through workshops, and potential grant funding partnership.
She believes that partnership between the UC and UCC Library System should foster collaboration and knowledge sharing.
She said “The other is the intent to pair up our faculty librarians on more research projects, so opportunities for those researchers to collaborate and partner in publications and scholarship. We’ve also talked about working together on training plans and sharing knowledge, bringing in workshops and other opportunities. And my hope is down the road, we can actually partner on some grant funding opportunities (1:14) as well.
Ms. Elizabeth Kiscaden also said there could be further development based on discovered alignments and interests saying “So that’s what we’ve outlined so far, it’s intended to be dynamic. So this is the beginning of that process. As our team members find areas where there’s some alignment and some interest, we can develop that agreement further.
For his part, the University of Cape Coast Librarian, Dr. MacAnthony Cobblah indicated that the MoU will ensure that staff can go on sabbatical to the University of Cincinati Libraries to learn about their systems and also collaborate in areas of expertise.
He sees the partnership as a result of UCC’s collaboration activity with Cincinnati highlighting it benefit including information and resource sharing, staff expertise and exchange, and learning from Cincinanati systems.
“It’s been a great eye-opener for us, looking at what they are doing there, sharing what they are doing there. Even as the head librarian, there are things that she said that were new to me. So I’m sure we’ve learned. And the good news is that we are going to collaborate all the areas of expertise that we lack here. She will link us up to the expertise there,” she said
Source: Anthony Sasu Ayisadu/ATLFMNEWS
