Knowledge and perceptions of the use of artificial intelligence among students of the Bachelor's Degree in Documentation and Information Sciences and Technologies (ISCAP-P. Porto, Portugal)

Abstract

This paper presents an exploratory case study of how future information professionals perceive Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications, required competences, and associated risks in libraries and information services. The study involved 54 students enrolled in the Bachelor's Degree in Documentation and Information Sciences and Technologies at ISCAP – P.PORTO, Portugal. Data were collected in March–April 2025 through a 45-item Likert-scale questionnaire adapted from Subaveerapandiyan et al. (2023). Descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, and K-means clustering (k = 3) were applied. The adapted scale showed high internal consistency (Cronbach's α = .939). Students perceived AI as an emerging infrastructure for information services, particularly for finding scholarly articles, chatbots, reference support, data management, indexing, and decision support, with mean scores ranging from 3.6 to 4.2. AI- and data-related competences were considered essential, while current skill gaps were perceived as a less significant barrier, suggesting pragmatic confidence. Perceptions of employment threats, energy use, professional replacement, supplier shortages, and budget constraints were more heterogeneous. K-means clustering identified three exploratory profiles: moderate pragmatists, engaged utilitarians, and reflective pragmatists. The findings have implications for Information Science education and curriculum design, although generalisation is limited by the small, single-programme sample, reliance on self-reported perceptions, single institutional context, and exploratory clustering analysis.