ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN ACADEMIC LIBRARIES: OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES OF ADOPTION IN ACADEMIC LIBRARIES IN BAYELSA STATE, NIGERIA.

This study investigates the opportunities and challenges of adopting Artificial Intelligence (AI) in academic libraries in Bayelsa State, Nigeria.The study was guided by two research objective.The study adopt using a descriptive survey design, data were collected from 40 library staff (30 professional librarians and 10 paraprofessionals) across four universities with functional academic libraries.A structured questionnaire, validated by experts and tested for reliability, was used for data collection, while descriptive statistics were applied for analysis with SPSS v25.Findings revealed that AI adoption remains at an early stage in Bayelsa State academic libraries.Respondents highlighted major opportunities of AI, such as enhancing efficiency, delivering personalized services, supporting research, enabling 24/7 access to information, and broadening access to digital resources.The study concludes that while AI offers transformative potential for service delivery in academic libraries, infrastructural and human-capacity challenges must be addressed.Recommendations include staff training, increased funding, collaboration with ICT firms, and the establishment of ethical policies to guide AI use.