Artificial intelligence (AI) and searching

About using AI in your searching processes.

Some colleagues are now using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in their searching process; querying AI tools using natural language, or feeding their exact topic word-for-word into them - to help them develop a search strategy by suggesting appropriate subject headings or synonyms to include. Similarly, some colleagues are using AI to summarise/synthesise the findings of the evidence they find.

Searchers are strongly advised that AI tools should be used with caution and do not replace the established practices detailed in this guidance.

All outputs from these tools should be thoroughly checked as they are prone to “hallucinate” (make things up).

The currency of the data that the tool you are using has been “trained on” should be stated, and the tool should be freely accessible to your requester, ideally.

NHS Trusts may have data security and information governance concerns over its usage, so be sure to follow local guidance when it comes to any technology in your organisation.

There is broad guidance for the usage of AI within the NHS from the Transformation Directorate and the AI and Digital Regulations Service, but the Current and Emerging Technology in Knowledge and Library Services Community of Practice’s workspace on FutureNHS contains community-produced guides for how to use specific AI tools, including many listed in our resources appendix.

If you use AI in any part of your process you should explicitly state this in your search strategy, reporting the prompts you used (linking to them if possible), the exact version of the tool you used, and the date of access.

Every aspect of a well-recorded search strategy should be immediately replicable, but it is worth noting that you could run the same prompt in the same tool on the same day and still get very different responses each time.