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NISO Open Discovery Initiative (ODI) Webinar: Is There AI in My Search Results, and Why Should I Care?

Webinar

In 2024, the NISO Open Discovery Initiative (ODI) Standing Committee published Generative Artificial Intelligence and Web-Scale Discovery. This white paper examined the results of a survey conducted by ODI to assess the information community's perception of the impact of AI on library discovery services. As part of the outcomes from this report, and to continue engaging with the community, ODI will host a series of webinars that explore AI, discovery, and the future of library services.

In the second webinar of the series, "Is There AI in My Search Results and Why Should I Care?", we will delve into the integration of AI tools throughout the authoring and discovery pipeline. Join ODI co-chair Rachel Kessler (Clarivate), ODI Standing Committee member Marshall Breeding (Library Technology Guides), along with Brendan Quinn and Ashleigh Faith (EBSCO) as they discuss how users of library-provided research tools can identify when AI has been used in creating, indexing, selecting, or presenting information within a discovery tool, when this information is significant, and what stakeholders can do to improve transparency and user understanding of the role AI plays in search results.

Event Sessions

Speakers

Ashleigh Faith

Director of AI and Semantic Innovation and Strategy
EBSCO Information Services

Shared Resources:

AI Literacy: Usage and Teaching Strategies- This EBSCO e-learning course explores key techniques for teaching AI literacy, including important concepts to cover, ethical considerations, appropriate use, and evaluating the trustworthiness of AI. The course includes an introductory module and additional learning activities; taught by Ashleigh Faith, PhD, Director of AI and Semantic Innovation, EBSCO Information Services.

Northwestern IMLS Grant Information - Northwestern University will create tools for tracking content in distributed digital preservation systems, leading to improved management and preservation of content and collections at cultural heritage organizations nationwide. The project builds on a previous IMLS-funded planning grant in which research was conducted in partnership with the University of California San Diego. The project will result in the creation of a curation toolkit which will make the digital preservation selection process more efficient. The project team will also work with developers from digital preservation services to develop standards that will increase interoperability between local repositories and distributed digital preservation systems.

Content Authenticity and Provenance in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: A Call-to-Action for the LAMs Community (Feb 2026) -  This report examines how artificial intelligence affects content authenticity and provenance (CAP) in libraries, archives, and museums (LAMs), particularly the challenges of verifying digital materials, documenting AI-generated alterations, and maintaining public trust in digital collections. It outlines key technical, ethical, privacy, and infrastructure challenges and offers four areas for collective action: research and development, partnerships, industry advocacy, and open sharing of results and lessons learned.

Inventory of NARA Super Intelligence (SI) Use Cases - National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) has prepared an inventory of SI use cases including current and planned uses, consistent with the agency's mission. The links below the following table summarize updates to the inventory of SI use cases by year.

Library Digital Collections, Northwestern University (talk to the chat bot!) - Explore Northwestern University Libraries’ digitized primary sources and special collections, including historical photographs, documents, manuscripts, and other archival materials. The site features an AI-powered chatbot that lets users ask questions in natural language to discover relevant collection items and receive contextual answers grounded in library metadata.

Meadow: Northwestern Libraries Repository Application – This open-source project provides a repository application developed by Northwestern University Libraries to manage digital collections and their associated metadata. The repository offers access to the software’s source code and development resources, and is relevant to exploring how libraries build and maintain digital collection infrastructure and support metadata management.

Northwestern University Libraries Digital Collections API (dc-api-v2) – Northwestern University provides another open-source project on programmatic access to the libraries’ digital collections, allowing developers to search, retrieve, and integrate collection records and metadata into other applications and workflows. It includes API code and documentation for accessing digital objects, collections, search results, and IIIF-compatible resources, with additional tools supporting AI-assisted discovery of library materials.

Chat-Eval: Northwestern University Libraries Chatbot Evaluation Tool – Another open-source project from Northwestern University Libraries supports the evaluation of chatbot performance, helping developers assess the quality and reliability of AI-generated responses. The repository provides code and development resources for testing and refining chatbot functionality, particularly relevant to libraries exploring AI-powered tools for collection discovery and user support.


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Additional Information

Links to the archived recording of the broadcast are distributed to registrants 24-48 business hours following the close of the live event. Access to that recording is intended for internal use of fellow staff at the registrant’s organization or institution. Shared resources are posted to the NISO event page.

All events follow the NISO Code of Conduct. More information can be found here.

Broadcast Platform

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