Published Article

ABSTRACT

This study examined the ethical challenges associated with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and examines the effectiveness of data protection, continuous algorithmic auditing, diverse development teams, and clear ethical policies in addressing these challenges. In carrying out this study, a descriptive survey research design was adopted. The study was conducted in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. The target population consisted of all lawyers and librarians in Akwa Ibom State. A simple random sampling technique was employed to select 30 lawyers and 30 librarians, making a total sample size of 60 respondents. The instrument used for data collection was a structured questionnaire entitled "Law Librarians' Roles in Mitigating AI-Ethical Challenges Questionnaire (LLRMACQ)." Face and content validation of the instrument were carried out by an expert in Test, Measurement, and Evaluation to ensure its validity, appropriateness, and adequacy for the study. The reliability coefficient obtained for the instrument was 0.85, indicating a high level of reliability and justifying its use for the study.The data collected were analyzed using appropriate statistical techniques, percentage analysis was used to answer the research questions. The findings revealed that among the roles of law librarians in mitigating AI-ethical challenges, “combating hallucinations” recorded the highest percentage response (30.00%), while “algorithmic transparency” recorded the least percentage response (20.00%). The findings also showed that “protection of privacy” recorded the highest percentage response (36.67%) among the effects of data protection on ethical challenges of Artificial Intelligence, while “reduction of bias and discrimination” recorded the least percentage response (30.00%). The study concluded that Artificial Intelligence has become a transformative force in modern society, offering significant benefits in efficiency, innovation, and decision-making across various sectors. One of the recommendations made was that Governments, organizations, and AI developers should implement robust data protection policies and comply with established privacy regulations to ensure the secure collection, storage, processing, and sharing of personal data.