AT THE LIBRARY: Proceed With Caution

Artificial Intelligence Makes Things Up. Can It Be Useful? Sure. But It’s Best To Use It As A Tool

By Rachel Reddick | Park Hill Branch Librarian

Artificial Intelligence. It’s everywhere. And librarians hate it. 

AI has begun contaminating various reference services, gathering data that is often false. It’s getting harder to confirm or deny the validity of sources anymore. Keep in mind that librarians don’t work only for public libraries. They work for lawyers, universities, hospitals, and the military. The risks and ramifications of false information can be serious, with genuinely dangerous consequences from misinformation.

AI isn’t transparent; it doesn’t allow you to trace its research steps or where it draws its conclusions from. AI is not and cannot be fact-checked. AI platforms do not always differentiate between secure and insecure information, leading to potential personal information being leaked. 

Libraries are very big on privacy. We’ve gone to court over it. It’s an essential safeguard we promise people who use our resources. Currently, no explicit federal law exists to protect user privacy on AI platforms, although Colorado and 18 other states have enacted their own laws regarding digital privacy.

AI not only steals data from you, the user, but the data it provides to you contains data stolen form others. Artists, writers, musicians, and more have had their work stolen and repurposed without permission, credit or payment. 

AI makes things up. Citations provided by AI can be bogus, and it may be unclear who to hold accountable. Estimates include as high as 40 percent of ChatGPT citations are not just misquoted from  legitimate sources, but completely fabricated. Answers vary, depending on the prompt a user enters. AI pulls ideas from various places and sends out the information it thinks the user most wants — not what is the most accurate.

AI can encourage self-harm and unhealthy mental behaviors by reinforcing what the user is searching for. In just one recent example, A young man named Zane Shamblin killed himself after conversations with an AI source that replied to his suicide ideations with sentences like, “Cold steel pressed against a mind that’s already made peace? That’s not fear. That’s clarity,” and “You’re not rushing. You’re just ready.”

AI is not always so vile. Can it have useful functions? Sure. We’ve heard of many people who have used it to outline presentations, or give them a checklist to work from. A coworker has used it to help find fun travel plans. When you are personally contributing to the AI information with your own input, AI can be a tool like any other. 

But using the raw material provided by AI is risky. And in an age of misinformation, it’s frustrating to have yet another potential resource that provides confident answers without legitimacy.

We’ve had customers come in telling us they’re using information from an AI source for court documents or professional reports. We discourage this because there is no proven authenticity to the information people are gathering. They’re also submitting potentially personal information into a nonsecure platform that again, has unknown and unregulated security features. 

People bring in citations and titles of books that don’t exist and get angry when we can’t provide the publications. We’ve had our own services be misrepresented because someone searched through AI rather than a library’s website. 

Customers may have information they’d like to print from sources like Microsoft’s Copilot or Google’s Gemini, not realizing how hard the formatting will be to actually print out. It’s information meant to be secured quickly, but not necessarily kept to be referred to at a later date. For casual users, that distinction can be a limitation they’re not aware of.

A lot of people use AI because it’s convenient. I would encourage you to use other resources, like the library, instead. Not just for my own job security, but because we as professionals adhere to ethical standards that AI currently does not. 

You can get connected to verified content even if it’s for less serious ideas than the ones listed in this column. You can use online reference services, like Denver Public Library’s Ask Us, which is available 24 hours a day. 

Librarians love the internet. We use it for all sorts of things. But this new inundation of AI pathways is one we advocate accessing with caution.

Communities thrive on understanding each other and it’s imperative that they have those conversations using the best knowledge out there. Please consider this column when you  use AI, and ponder if it’s the best source for you to use for your task. 

Librarians would love to help you figure that out and possibly point you in another direction. That’s just one more reason why libraries exist.

July Library Programs

Park Hill Branch

Baby Storytimes | Thursdays, 10:15-10:45 a.m.

Stories, songs, rhymes and fun for babies ages 0-18 months and their parents or caregivers.

Toddler Storytimes | Fridays, 10:15 – 10:45 a.m.

Stories, songs, rhymes and fun for toddlers ages 18-36 months and their parents or caregivers.

Family Laughter Yoga | Wednesday, July 1, 3-3:45 p.m. & Wednesday, July 8, 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m.

Enjoy playful laughter exercises interspersed with gentle breathing and stretching. During this joyful practice, you’ll play, be silly, and learn techniques to support your mental health. Simple, fun and accessible to people of all fitness levels

Magic Rob Magic Show | Wednesday, July 8, 3-3:45 p.m.
Join Magic Rob for the Swing into Summer Fun Magic Show.

Document Downsizing: Deciding What to Keep and What to Toss, Part 1 | Saturday, July 11, 2:30-4:30 p.m.

Are you overwhelmed with paper and unsure what to keep or toss? Whether you are 18 or 80, this two-part series in July is designed to provide a clear understanding of what paper and digital documents should be kept and what and where to store them.

Death Café | Monday, July 13, 2-3:30 p.m.

Death Café is an international movement that invites people to gather, normalize conversations around death, to make the most of LIFE. This is not a grief support group or counseling session. Respect for all views is a priority.

Foam Party | Wednesday, July 13, 2:30-3:30 p.m.

Wear your bathing suits to the library for fun in the sun and foam! Bring towels, goggles, and sun screen!

Family Book Celebration | Thursday, July 16, 4-5 p.m.

A monthly book celebration for the whole family. Share favorite books and connect with fellow readers to explore a book, series, or theme all together. All ages and abilities are welcome. This month, local graphic novel author and artist Thane Benson will lead an interactive writing and drawing workshop. Learn the fundamentals of graphic novel story-telling and create your own one-page graphic novel.

No Strings Attached Book Chat | Saturday, July 18, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Read whatever you want and attend whenever you can. Share a recent read, an old favorite, or anything in between.

Level Up Tweens | Tuesday, July 21, 4:30-5:30 p.m.

Formally called the Tween & Teen Advisory Board, we meet monthly to share ideas, shape library events, and help create a welcoming space for everyone. 

Arts and Crafts | Wednesday, July 22, 4:30-5:30 p.m.

What will you purchase with just $5? Each participant will be given a “wallet” containing $5 in play money. Participants browse our arts and crafts shop for supplies and make their purchases while letting their creativity guide them in making their unique project.

Document Downsizing: What to Keep and What to Toss, Part 2 | Saturday, July 25, 2:30-4:30 p.m.

In the second part of this series you’ll learn how to organize your documents, determine where to store them, and identify what you can safely purge.

Summer of Adventure: Family Day of Play | Wednesday, July 29, 3-4 p.m.

Ready. Get set. PLAY! Come celebrate summer and all the great ways families, friends, and neighborhoods can play together! Note: This event will take place outside on the front lawn if weather permits!

Pauline Robinson Branch

Toddler Storytime | Tuesdays | 10:30-11 am

Stories, songs, rhymes and fun for toddlers ages 18-36 months and their grown-ups.

Drop-In Tech Help | Wednesdays, 2-3 p.m.

Need help navigating the internet, email, or social networks like Facebook? Have questions about your phone or tablet? Want to know how to access eBooks on any device? Drop by to get your questions answered and learn how to use tech more effectively.

Big Wheels: Meet a Fire Truck | Thursday, July 9, 4-5 p.m.

Come celebrate summer with the Denver Fire Department. Come ask questions, learn from experts, and explore a real firetruck.

Read to A Therapy Dog | Thursday, July 16, 4-5 p.m.

Drop in and read to friendly therapy dogs. This paw-some activity helps developing readers practice skills in a relaxed space. Books will be available, or bring your favorite from home. A waiver is required.

Family Storytime with Officers | Thursday, July 23, 4-5 p.m.

Join your Denver Police District 2 officers for a free, interactive reading event for kids!  Guests will enjoy books read by officers, police car tours, and a visit by the Denver Police Mounted Patrol.

End of Summer Of Adventure Party | Thursday, July 30, 4-5 p.m.

We’re hosting a party for kids 4-18 to celebrate all the reading we’ve done this summer.  Crafts and light refreshments will be provided.

Pauline Robinson Book Club | Saturday, July 25, noon-1:30 p.m.

We meet on the fourth Saturday of every month.  All are welcome. This month we will be discussing A Calamity of Souls by David Baldacci.

Greater Park Hill has two public libraries: The Park Hill branch library is at 4705 Montview Blvd. and the Pauline Robinson branch library is at 5575 E. 33rd Ave. Note: All Denver Public Libraries are closed on Friday, July 3 for the 4th of July holiday.