Evolving Roles of Information Professionals in the Artificial Intelligence Era: A Systematic Literature Review

The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping the landscape of library and information science, significantly altering the roles and responsibilities of information professionals. This paper aims to examine the transformations of information professional roles in the era of artificial intelligence. This study conducted a systematic literature review (SLR) emulating the PRISMA 2020 protocol. Titles and abstracts were screened based on predefined inclusion criteria, including English full-text journal articles, review papers, and conference papers indexed in Scopus addressing the roles and competencies of information professionals in the era of artificial intelligence. The study employed a conceptual and review analysis of documents to examine the use of AI and its impact on the roles of information professionals. We investigated the positive and negative effects of AI on the roles of information professionals, as well as the evolving role of information professionals in routine process automation. AI’s presence and transformation of virtually all the information professionals’ roles are profound, with pertinent challenges. The impact of AI on the roles of information professionals are both positive and negative, while the roles of information professionals have undergone significant changes in the AI era. This paper presents a unique perspective on the evolving roles of information professionals in the era of artificial intelligence. It offers original insights into how AI is reshaping the profession, highlighting the profound impacts and transformations that are redefining traditional practices and skill sets.