This bachelor thesis aims to investigate whether the recent implementation of tools built on generative AI, like ChatGPT, has had an impact on the professional ethics of librarians active at academic libraries in Sweden. It also aims to investigate to what degree the same librarians experience that they are involved in the current implementation, use, and development of tools based on generative AI at their library.

The study takes a qualitative approach to the subject and has been conducted through semi structured interviews with eight librarians at different academic institutions, on site and through digital interviews. The questionnaire used is based on previous research, the professional ethical guidelines of the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) and Abbott’s Theory of Professions. The result was processed through thematic analysis and categorized after the themes used in the questionnaire. Critical theory was then applied to analyze the result.

The outcome of the study is that the respondents do not have a pronounced opinion on professional ethics, but that the implementation of generative AI-tools has sparked an ethical debate at most institutions. It was shown that the librarians experience varied degrees of involvement regarding the decision making concerning what tools should be implemented at their libraries. Furthermore, we show that this involvement is affected by different kinds of power and power structures.