The Necessity of AI Literacy in Academic Libraries in Bangladesh
This post is written by Shaharima Parvin, a Senior Assistant Librarian at East West University, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
The current global adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) is driving digital transformation at contemporary levels. According to UNESCO, the rapid iterations and proliferation of AI across all aspects of life and sectors pose new challenges regarding the nature of machine intelligence, the collection and use of personal data, the roles of humans and machines in decision-making, and the impact of AI on social and environmental sustainability. Education systems must prepare students not only with the knowledge and skills to use AI but also with insights into the potential impact of technology on societies and the environment at large. UNESCO has developed an AI competency framework for students, which aims to assist educators in effectively integrating AI education, outlining 12 competencies across four dimensions: Human-centred mindset, Ethics of AI, AI techniques and applications, and AI system design. These competencies span three progression levels: Understand, Apply, and Create.
Bangladesh has established the National Artificial Intelligence Policy 2024 to address the social, legal, and ethical challenges posed by AI. This policy serves as a guideline for the governance, utilisation, and application of AI across various sectors in the country. Key concerns outlined include education, public service, health, transport, telecommunications, the environment, finance, manufacturing, and agriculture. Bangladesh can enhance investment in AI technologies and improve digital literacy education, ensuring that both teachers and students acquire essential skills for the digital world, thereby narrowing the knowledge divide. This AI policy specifies several measures for the AI Implementation Plan for Academia, such as integrating AI into the academic curriculum and developing specialised programmes that explore the ethical, legal, and socio-economic implications, establishing AI laboratories in universities, organising AI seminars and workshops, and creating an AI research and training centre under the supervision of the University Grants Commission (UGC).
Image credit:Â Shaharima Parvin via Flickr
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) released a report titled “Artificial Intelligence for Education in Bangladesh: Insights from the First Small Scale AI Needs Assessment and Training for Primary Education Teachers” last year. The report discusses the scope and future of AI in primary education in Bangladesh, based on an online survey and a training course for primary school teachers, government officials, and educationalists. Despite a willingness to embrace AI, teachers expressed caution about utilising it for tasks that involve human interaction, such as communicating with parents and engaging with students. Training in AI significantly boosted teachers’ confidence and fostered more positive attitudes towards AI. Those who participated in the training exhibited a greater readiness to incorporate AI into their teaching, emphasising the need for continued skill development and support for effective AI implementation.
According to the 2023 Sample Vital Registration System report collected from the Bangladeshi Bureau of Statistics, the general literacy rate is approximately 75.5% in rural areas and 85.4% in urban areas, with an overall literacy rate of 77.9% for people aged 7 and older. This opens great opportunities for libraries to effectively promote literacy in  Bangladesh. Librarians, as mediators of knowledge, play a crucial role in teaching the academic community about AI literacy. However, the question remains: Do librarians themselves possess the necessary AI competencies?
AI literacy is becoming increasingly essential for librarians as they navigate the integration of AI technologies within library services. This literacy encompasses an understanding of AI tools, their applications, and the ethical implications of their use. Long and Magerko define AI literacy as “a set of competencies that enables individuals to critically evaluate AI technologies, communicate and collaborate effectively with AI, and use AI as a tool online, at home, and in the workplace.” They regard this literacy as comprising 17 skills and as an operational definition. AI literacy is related to other literacies, such as digital, data, and computational literacy. The relationships may be mutually dependent yet exclusive. For instance, AI literacy requires users to possess a basic understanding of how to operate computers to comprehend AI. Thus, digital literacy, which entails using computers to complete a task, is a prerequisite for AI literacy.
A growth mindset, adaptability, capacity development, and collaboration with various stakeholders are essential for initiating AI literacy within the academic community. Collaborative efforts are required to identify gaps in existing digital literacy sessions and incorporate AI literacy into these programmes. By gathering insights from diverse stakeholders, academic librarians can ascertain the specific AI skills and knowledge that are lacking among users and develop more targeted training programmes. Creating culturally relevant AI resources tailored to the Bangladeshi context is also vital for ensuring that AI initiatives are inclusive and pertinent. To advance AI literacy in the academic community, librarians must be innovative and think outside the box. By embracing innovation and collaboration, libraries can empower Bangladesh’s academic community to adeptly navigate the dynamic and evolving landscape of AI.
Reference:
Long, D., & Magerko, B. (2020). What is ai literacy? Competencies and design considerations. Proceedings of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1145/3313831.3376727