Reflections on Ethics and Justice in Metadata in the Age of AI
We seem to be in a new period of technological change. AI technologies are not new; the seemingly rapid expansion of generative AI and the increasing everyday use of AI-driven tools feel different and chaotic. While archives, libraries, and cultural heritage organizations continue to follow descriptive standards that have been in place for numerous decades, if not longer, increased attention on ethical practices relating to appropriate and respectful vocabulary in the representation of peoples, places, and cultures, including the appropriate naming of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples, has put pressure on organizations to make significant change to practice. The proliferation of projects focused on terminology within the library space points to a new “opening” in standard practices related to an emphasis on ethics and justice and to opportunities afforded by technologies. However, there is a tension between the increasing emphasis on ethics in metadata practice and the potential changes to metadata creation practices made possible by AI-driven tools. In this talk, I will discuss the current and future challenges and possibilities in metadata in relation to representation, justice and ethics.
Dr. Stacy Allison-Cassin, Assistant Professor, Dalhousie University
My initial career plans were to be a professional orchestral musician. When I decided that was not a path I wanted to continue to pursue, I was delighted to find a new path in music librarianship—a career that allowed me to combine my knowledge and passion for music with my love for libraries. I also discovered I have a love of classification, metadata and information systems. Something I fostered as a music cataloguer at York University and later in roles related to digital humanities and linked data. I delved further into my love of music and information with a PhD in Humanities at York where my dissertation entitled: “Fugitive Phrases: Arcade Fire, Love Song, and the Amorous Self” draws on Luhmann’s theory of love as information system to discuss the ways music supports and promotes amorous communications.
I am Citizen of the Métis Nation of Ontario and I have long been active in research, and professional and community work related to social justice and equity. I am an active member of professional associations and am currently Chair of the Indigenous Matters Standing Committee of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), a community lead in the National Indigenous Knowledge and Language Alliance (NIKLA-ANCLA), and a member of many other advisory bodies. I believe strongly in finding ways to make access to information more equitable and have been involved in open access initiatives in North America for many years with strong ties within the “open” movement. I am a very active member the Wikimedia community where I focus the bulk of my energy on Wikidata. However, I do write and edit Wikipedia articles in my spare time.
For more information visit https://dhsi-east.stfx.ca
