AI Defiance; Library Journal, October 12, 2026

Matt Enis , Library Journal; AI Defiance

"While the library field has its share of generative AI proponents, many librarians and staff are ambivalent about its utility and concerned about the impact of the technology’s rapid growth.

A recently published survey of library workers conducted by the Library Freedom Project between September and October 2025 revealed a wide variety of apprehensions. More than 91 percent of the survey’s 554 respondents expressed concern over misinformation and disinformation, more than 86 percent were concerned about AI-generated inaccuracies and “hallucinations,” 84.7 percent were concerned about data privacy, 83.2 percent about biases, and almost 82 percent were concerned about AI hype and uncritical adoption.

“I teach a lot about misinformation, and genAI is supercharging its spread,” one respondent wrote.

And more than 70 percent of respondents expressed concerns about issues including copyright violations, environmental impacts, lack of regulation, cognitive offloading and potential mental health impacts, labor exploitation, and quality control. Only 1.08 percent of respondents (six people) said they had no concerns about generative AI...

The future of generative AI is difficult to predict, especially when attempting to account for the potential rise and fall of corporations that currently provide it. But as Macrina says, “what’s really important for us to remember…is that human beings decide the future. Technology does not decide the future for us. Humans make technology; they can break technology. If we go forward with that vision, we can have a lot more influence on what is inevitable or not, and what our reality is.”"