Much to my absolute delight, my son recently discovered the Hamilton soundtrack—a work I consider to be one of the greatest examples of contemporary human creative genius. One of our favorite songs to sing together is “The Schuyler Sisters,” and we belt out the lyric, “Look around, look around at how lucky we are to be alive right now!” The song is about a moment in our nation’s history when we were on the brink of tremendous change, and the feelings of chaos and excitement that were wrapped up in that time.

As we begin a New Year, I wonder if we’re entering a similar revolutionary period. Not a revolution against a monarchy (No Kings rallies notwithstanding), but a massive change in how information is developed, delivered, and even digested. I’m talking, of course, about artificial intelligence (AI) and its impact on everything from education to mental health to creativity and critical thinking.

Some concerns about AI may be driven in part by confusion over what it is (and isn’t)—from understanding how the technology works and what it does to the ethical, environmental, and legal issues associated with its training and use. As just one example of confusion in the market, OverDrive sued OpenAI late last year for trademark infringement, unfair competition, and deceptive trade practices over the use of the Sora name and logo for its AI video–generating app. OverDrive’s Sora platform, introduced in 2018, provides ebooks and audiobooks to preK–12 schools. As previously reported by SLJ, OverDrive CEO Steve Potash noted with alarm the number of librarians and educators who approached the company expressing concern over the shared name and how it might impede access to digital content in schools.

In his SLJ feature debut, “With Friends Like These...”, Senior Technology Editor Matt Enis explores the growing number of young people using AI chatbots as friends and trusted confidantes—and the role that librarians can play in educating students about the risks. According to a new report from Pew Research, “Teens, Social Media and AI Chatbots 2025,” nearly two-thirds of teens report using AI chatbots, and more than a quarter said they do so daily. AI’s impact on mental health has sparked concerns among parents, educators, and healthcare experts who fear that chatbots offer frictionless “relationships” that interfere with social development and in-person connection.

I certainly recognize the powerful potential of AI to transform areas like medical research, which could lead to breakthrough cures for diseases—or even the ways that AI can support digitization and archival work that is important to libraries. However, we must remain mindful, as Senior Editor Kara Yorio notes in “Truth Sleuths”, of the ways in which AI can create and propagate mis- and disinformation. Helping students build and strengthen their media and news literacy skills will only grow in importance as AI changes the information landscape.

My hopes for the good that AI might unleash are presently eclipsed by my worry over the dangers it will bring to individuals and society. I sense, though, that we’re on the precipice of great change—the technology is here, and people are using it—so we need to confront it head-on. SLJ will be delving deeper into AI in the coming months, and we invite your questions, concerns, and perspectives.

What a time to be alive.

Hallie Rich

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR, LIBRARY JOURNAL 
AND SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL
hrich@mediasourceinc.com