A joint task force, representing the membership of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) and the Coalition for Networked Information (CNI), has begun working on a six-month initiative to develop a set of possible future scenarios examining how artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) might transform the research enterprise. We hope that these scenarios will be helpful to our member institutions and the broader community in understanding, planning for, and exploring the implications of these technologies. 

Opportunities to contribute to the development of these scenarios will take place through meetings that coincide with ARL and CNI meetings, and through virtual focus groups open to the wider community. ARL and CNI have retained Stratus, Inc. to facilitate the scenario set development. Susan Stickley, CEO of Stratus, worked with ARL previously on the 2030 Scenarios, published in 2010.

Members of the ARL/CNI Joint Task Force on Scenario Planning for AI and ML Futures include:

• Dianne Babski (US National Library of Medicine)
• Karen Estlund (Colorado State University)
• Salwa Ismail (University of California, Berkeley)
• Boyhun Kim (University of Michigan)
• James Lee (Northwestern University)
• Leo Lo (University of New Mexico)
• Christy Long (University of Oregon)
• Elisabeth Long (Johns Hopkins University)
• Rosalyn Metz (Emory University)
• Devin Savage (Illinois Institute of Technology)
• Catherine Steeves (Western University)
• Keith Webster (Carnegie Mellon)
• Kate Zwaard (Library of Congress)

About ARL

The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) is a nonprofit organization of research libraries in Canada and the US whose vision is to create a trusted, equitable, and inclusive research and learning ecosystem and prepare library leaders to advance this work in strategic partnership with member libraries and other organizations worldwide. ARL’s mission is to empower and advocate for research libraries and archives to shape, influence, and implement institutional, national, and international policy. ARL develops the next generation of leaders and enables strategic cooperation among partner institutions to benefit scholarship and society. ARL is on the web at ARL.org.

About CNI

The Coalition for Networked Information (CNI) is a joint initiative of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) and EDUCAUSE that promotes the use of information technology to advance scholarship and education. Over 200 organizations representing higher education, publishing, information technology, scholarly and professional organizations, foundations, and libraries and library organizations, make up CNI’s members. Learn more at www.cni.org.