When algorithms become colleagues: The silent socialisation of AI in librarians’ professional lives

Abstract

This study examines the silent socialisation of artificial intelligence (AI) in academic library work, focussing on how AI becomes an implicit and routine presence shaping professional practices. Using a quantitative cross-sectional design, data were collected from 100 academic library professionals in India through a structured questionnaire. Exploratory factor analysis identified seven dimensions of AI integration, including workflow embeddedness, implicit decision influence, cognitive backgrounding, and future embeddedness. The findings indicate that AI is increasingly experienced as an infrastructural condition of work rather than a discrete tool, influencing task flow, decision-making, and cognitive processes in subtle and often unarticulated ways. Significant differences were observed across professional designations, while perceptions remained consistent across other demographic variables. The study contributes to the literature by conceptualising AI integration as a process of silent socialisation, highlighting the need for greater institutional awareness, governance, and critical engagement with AI in professional environments.