Artificial Intelligence (AI) statement

Our approach

We believe in being open about the tools we use to support our work.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be a beneficial tool, helping us work more effectively, reach new audiences and make our content more accessible. But there are risks, including the potential for bias, factual errors and infringement of copyright. Many people also have concerns about the growing use of AI in their daily lives.

As a British Library programme, LibraryOn contributes to delivering Knowledge Matters, the British Library's strategy for 2023–2030. This means we've developed our approach to AI with these risks and concerns in mind, ensuring we always balance progress and efficiency with the needs and expectations of the library community we serve.

How we use machine learning and AI

We usually write our content for the LibraryOn website, but we occasionally use AI tools to help us plan, write and edit content. However, everything we publish is checked and fine-tuned by a human being on our team.

We also use machine learning to tag events on our website, helping you find activities and programmes at your local library more easily.

We mainly use AI for back-end activities that help us work more efficiently and effectively, such as generating ideas, managing data or planning content.

What we don't do

We don't use AI to generate creative assets like images, videos or final copy.

Libraries exist to support and celebrate human creativity, and we believe creators deserve recognition and fair payment for their work. This aligns with our commitment to copyright law, and the values libraries have always championed: that creative work has value, and creators' rights matter.

We don't solely rely on AI to create any end product or external communications. We also don't feed data to AI tools unless it's already publicly accessible.

Our commitment

We have open conversations about how we use AI in our work and with any suppliers we work with. We ensure that everything is checked by humans for potential bias, factual errors or copyright infringement. We keep up to date on changing laws and regulations around the use of AI, and we regularly review how we work.

Libraries are about people, communities and connection. Technology helps us do our work, but it never replaces the human care, creativity and attention we put into everything we share with you.

If you have questions about how we use AI, please get in touch by email on [email protected].

Date of last update: 18 December 2025