At North Carolina Central University (NCCU), AI education begins with first-year students through a required two-credit First Year Seminar course (UNIV 1100). During the 2024-25 academic year, AI was formally introduced to students through multiple channels. Students were encouraged to attend events hosted by the North Carolina Central University Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Research (IAIER), the first dedicated AI institute established at a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in the United States. 

The First Year Seminar curriculum incorporated AI Literacy modules from IBM Skills Build, including Introduction to Artificial Intelligence, Large Language Model Basics, and Mastering the Art of Prompting. This inaugural integration allowed first-year students to gain a foundational understanding of AI technologies from the start of their academic journey. 

Effective AI literacy education requires moving beyond abstract discussions to provide students with structured, hands-on experience. One proven practice involves designing guided assignments where students must submit their prompts, the AI-generated outputs, and a critical evaluation of the system’s performance. This approach demystifies AI, helping students understand it not as a black box but as a technology whose outcomes depend on human decisions, context, and design. Such assignments create natural opportunities to examine ethical concerns, including hallucinations (when AI generates false information), bias in outputs, system opacity, and reliability limits. Students learn to question when and how AI can be used responsibly. By combining experiential learning with ethical reflection, instructors help students develop nuanced, practice-ready understanding of AI in information-rich environments.

The School of Library and Information Sciences at NCCU has expanded its AI offerings to prepare future information professionals. One course designed for Master of Information Science students has been offered for several years. A new special topics course on AI and libraries will launch this spring, primarily serving Master of Library Science students. Both courses offer additional credentialing beyond the degree requirements, recognizing AI literacy as an essential professional competency.

With rapidly evolving technology, libraries must strategically decide how to present AI to their diverse audiences. Many librarians hesitate to “teach” AI use, feeling they lack expertise in this constantly changing environment. Academic libraries often take guidance from university administration and faculty, while public libraries look to government agencies and community needs. Clear institutional guidance helps libraries navigate their role in AI education. 

At the James E. Shepard Memorial Library at North Carolina Central University, librarians have adopted a flexible, responsive approach. When faculty, staff, or students have AI-related questions, librarians address them during one-on-one consultations, tailoring responses to individual needs and contexts. The librarians also share information on library databases that incorporate AI functionality during library-wide and department-specific workshops and information literacy sessions. These databases include ProQuest Research Assistant, Statista Research AI, JSTOR AI Research Tool, and Oxford Scholarship Online AI Discovery Assistant, among others. By showcasing these resources, librarians ensure the university community can access research tools that combine the library’s curated resources with AI capabilities. 

This approach addresses a strategic challenge: the most popular AI resources such as ChatGPT, Copilot, Claude, Gemini, etc. are not direct library resources like books, journals, or specialized databases. To demonstrate return on investment and ensure trusted library resources remain central to research and learning, librarians emphasize library-integrated AI tools before introducing standalone AI platforms. This strategy maintains the library’s relevance while acknowledging the broader AI landscape.

The hesitation some librarians feel about teaching AI reflects a broader challenge in preparing information professionals. Rapid technological change means that traditional “expert” models of instruction may need revision. Instead, information professionals can position themselves as guides who help users critically evaluate and effectively use AI tools, even as technology evolves. Professional development for librarians and information professionals should focus on building confidence with AI fundamentals, understanding ethical implications, and developing pedagogical approaches for teaching AI literacy. This includes staying current with AI-integrated library resources and understanding how to contextualize popular AI tools within broader information literacy frameworks.

North Carolina Central University’s approach demonstrates that preparing information professionals to educate users about generative AI requires multi-layered institutional support. From first-year curriculum integration and specialized graduate courses to flexible library services and AI-enhanced research tools, successful implementation involves coordination across the institution. By combining structured training, hands-on practice with ethical reflection, and strategic positioning of library resources, institutions can equip information professionals to guide users through the opportunities and challenges of generative AI while maintaining the central role of curated, reliable information resources in academic research and learning.