Ethical considerations, perceived benefits and acceptance of artificial intelligence among library personnel in university libraries in Oyo State, Nigeria

The study investigated ethical considerations, perceived benefits and acceptance of Artificial Intelligence in university libraries in Oyo State, Nigeria. The survey research design of correlational type was adopted. The population for the study comprises 279 library personnel spread across the 11 universities in Oyo State, Nigeria, while a total of 137 library personnel constitute the sample size for the study. The instrument of data collection was a questionnaire tagged “Ethical Considerations, Perceived Benefits and Acceptance of AI Questionnaire (ECPBAIQ)”. The findings from the study revealed high levels of A1 acceptance, while efficiency, user satisfaction and innovation were the perceived benefits derivable from AI acceptance in university libraries in Oyo State, Nigeria. Moreover, the study established a high level of awareness of AI ethical considerations as well as, positive relationships between AI acceptance and ethical considerations, AI acceptance and perceived benefits of AI, and perceived benefits and ethical considerations among library personnel in university libraries in Oyo State, Nigeria. The paper concluded that acceptance of AI by library personnel in university libraries is influenced by various ethical considerations such as data privacy and security, bias and fairness, transparency and explainability, accountability and responsibility, as well as societal and cultural impact. The study recommended that university libraries should implement training and retraining programmes with a view to ensure that the acceptance of AI and awareness of ethical considerations of AI by library personnel in university libraries in Oyo State, Nigeria.