Moving towards critical AI literacy in LIS education: a scoping review and syllabi analysis

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to investigate generative artificial intelligence (AI) literacy integration within library and information science (LIS) educational programs, examining how academic curricula prepare future professionals to engage critically and competently with AI technologie...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Bridges, Laurie, Lopezosa, Carlos, Centelles Velilla, Miquel, Ferran Ferrer, Núria
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2025
País:España
Institución:Universidad de Barcelona
Repositorio:Dipòsit Digital de la UB
OAI Identifier:oai:diposit.ub.edu:2445/224663
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2445/224663
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Intel·ligència artificial
Artificial intelligence
Descripción
Sumario:Purpose – The purpose of this study is to investigate generative artificial intelligence (AI) literacy integration within library and information science (LIS) educational programs, examining how academic curricula prepare future professionals to engage critically and competently with AI technologies. Design/methodology/approach – A dual methodological approach combining a systematic scoping review of AI literature in LIS and a detailed analysis of syllabi from leading international LIS programs is used. The review identifies emerging trends and frameworks, while the syllabi analysis examines practical implementation. Findings – The investigation reveals significant pedagogical fragmentation and global inequities in the integration of AI literacy in LIS programs, characterized by a lack of consensus around the frameworks used, institutional disparities and false dichotomies between technical and critical pedagogies. Research limitations/implications – This study highlights the risks of stratification, where some programs offer sophisticated interdisciplinary training, while others provide only technical instruction, potentially fragmenting the global LIS community, at a time when coordinated responses to AI simplications are crucial. Practical implications – While many programs have implemented basic AI literacy, there is uneven global integration of critical AI literacy, which more closely aligns with the profession’s values of social justice and democratic well-being (ALA, 2023; IFLA, 2025). Social implications – Research addresses the profession’s obligation to serve as ethical information stewards in an algorithmic age, emphasizing that graduates must leverage AI capabilities while critically examining implications for information equity, privacy and democratic participation (ALA, 2023; IFLA,2025).