The Ethical Use of Artificial Intelligence in South African Law Libraries: The Role of a Law Librarian

Abstract The rapid emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT 3.5 and Microsoft Copilot is transforming legal research and library services. Although these technologies offer significant efficiencies, they introduce ethical challenges related to accuracy, bias, intellectual property, and confidentiality. In this context, law librarians are uniquely positioned to guide the responsible adoption of AI in legal environments. This paper investigates their role in promoting ethical use of AI in South African law libraries. It adopts a qualitative, conceptual approach, drawing on an extensive critical review of scholarly literature and selected case studies on AI use in legal and library contexts while also analyzing emerging practices in South African law libraries to develop a conceptual framework for ethical AI integration. The analysis indicates that law librarians play a critical role in mediating AI use by developing ethical guidelines, providing user education, and ensuring compliance with legal and professional standards; however, there are gaps in formal training and institutional policies, limiting their ability to effectively support users such as students, legal practitioners, and judicial officers. The paper underscores the need for targeted training programs, institutional policy development, and proactive librarian engagement to foster ethical AI literacy while also highlighting the importance of embedding ethical considerations into legal research support services. It contributes to the limited body of knowledge on AI ethics in South African law libraries by proposing a practical framework that positions law librarians as key facilitators of responsible AI adoption in legal research and practice.