The National Information Standards Organization (NISO) has released the results of a 2024 survey on artificial intelligence in web-scale library discovery services. The report, titled 'Generative Artificial Intelligence and the NISO Open Discovery Initiative,' was developed by the NISO Open Discovery Initiative (ODI) Standing Committee.
This publication follows the 2020 update of the ODI’s Recommended Practice, ‘Promoting Transparency in Discovery’, which predates the public emergence of large-scale generative AI tools in late 2023. Just as web-scale discovery systems reshaped library access to content around 2010, the ODI notes that generative AI may similarly redefine how users conduct research and how content providers manage distribution and indexing.
The ODI’s 2024 survey, conducted between September and October following several months of planning, sought to identify key areas of interest and concern among stakeholders within the library discovery ecosystem. The report summarizes the views of libraries and content providers regarding the implications of generative AI on content discovery, including both perceived opportunities and risks. It also outlines forthcoming areas of focus for the ODI in response to the findings.
According to the ODI Standing Committee, the results underscore the wide variation in perspectives on AI across the discovery community. The committee noted that continued evolution of the technology and expanding understanding will likely influence these views further. It emphasized the need to support transparency and cooperation across the sector to sustain open communication.
The findings also highlight the challenges of incorporating generative AI into library discovery environments. The ODI plans to use the results as a foundation for new guidance intended to assist stakeholders in navigating the technical and ethical complexities of AI integration.
NISO has invited ongoing community feedback on the report to inform future work in this area.
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