Dr Andrew Cox at the RLUK Digital Shift Forum - Watch on Demand

Dr Andrew Cox spoke at the RLUK Digital Shift Forum recently. The talk, entitled The academic library and artificial intelligence: some possible futures – Andrew Cox, Senior Lecturer, Information School, University of Sheffield is available to watch online. 

The term ‘artificial intelligence’ has many meanings, past and present. In its current guise, it has many potential applications in HE. An important aspect of this is the increasing use of data science techniques, such as machine learning, in research across all disciplines: from digital humanities, computational social science through to more obvious applications in the sciences. As data science skills are increasingly in demand in many sectors of the economy so there is an employability driver for it being taught in many disciplines. There are a number of ways academic libraries are already and could in the future be involved in supporting this activity: such as through providing content, licensing proprietary platforms, or participating in academic-led support communities. This talk presents the options and offers an analysis of which are most likely, drawing on an understanding of the professional knowledge base, balanced with a sense of wider institutional demands.