PEACEful Use of AI: A Tool for AI Education

Abstract

The rapid expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) tools for research and writing has left
librarians with a new challenge: how to teach ethical use of AI in a time of little to
no regulation, pending court cases regarding copyright, and concerns over the level of
environmental impact and potential stunting of critical-thinking skills. Students’ views of
and experiences with AI are mixed,1 though their use of such tools is growing. Introducing
a simple method for considering the issues that are inherent in AI use can help guide
students (and faculty) through critical thinking that can deepen their understanding of AI
and promote use that minimizes environmental, social, and intellectual harm. PEACEful
Use of AI, or PEACE, offers a set of guiding questions, informed by values and ethics
embedded within information literacy knowledge practices and dispositions, that encourages
critical thinking before selecting or using an AI tool