Finding ‘the Middle Way’ with Gen AI and Information Literacy Instruction

As information literacy librarians, we’re accustomed to technology having an impact our teaching.  But gen AI has felt like a whole other ballgame with its rapid change and widespread impact.  Over the past few years, I’ve witnessed reactions to gen AI at both ends of the spectrum from outright rejection to uncritical adoption.  Where do we as information literacy instructors land on this spectrum?  And, most importantly, what do we teach our students about gen AI and the research process? 

In the Buddhist tradition, ‘the Middle Way’ refers to a balanced approach to life that avoids extremes in thought and action.  I would argue that many librarians teaching information literacy have been following a ‘middle way’ approach in response to new technologies for years.  With guidance from the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education, we teach about the authority concerns with Wikipedia while also explaining its usefulness as a research starter.  We explore the dangers of algorithmic bias in internet searching while also teaching students how to leverage Google results in the lateral reading/fact-checking process.  As information scientists, we are objective in our approach to technology and in our assessment of its impact on information and the research process.  We are not Luddites.  And we also don’t buy the AI hype.  I recently attended an ACRL CHOICE webinar,  “Genuine Learning in the Age of AI” and was encouraged to hear from scholars who are defining what it looks like to teach critical thinking and information literacy skills while using gen AI tools.  The panelists outlined approaches that emphasize critique, reflection, and reasoning while engaged with gen AI.  They advocated directing students to focus on the overarching question “Are you going to know when the AI is wrong?”   This emphasis on maintaining critical objectivity and developing information literacy skills while using gen AI charts a course for library instruction that avoids extreme reactions to this new technology.  

The Framework for Information Literacy was created to address the impact of emerging technologies on information and the research process and, even though written in 2015, it provides useful insight and guidance for analyzing gen AI tools.  The recent revision of the Framework for Information Literacy makes this application of the frames to gen AI tools even more explicit.  With the Framework and our perspective as information scientists, librarians are well-positioned to support students in the development of their critical thinking about gen AI tools and to define a ‘middle way’ for information literacy instruction.