From search bars to chatbots: why AI literacy is the skill you shouldn’t skip

There has never been a more exciting, or more confusing time to be a (Business) student. Artificial intelligence tools are everywhere: summarising lecture notes, drafting emails, explaining concepts and theories, and answering questions that once would have taken hours to answer. As someone who studied Business myself, then spent years as a Business librarian and subject specialist before moving into a lecturing role, I've watched this shift from both sides of the desk. And I will be honest with you: AI can be genuinely powerful. But only if you know how to use it.

The skills that made a great researcher ten years ago (critical thinking, source evaluation, understanding where information comes from and who produced it) matter even more now. We call this information literacy, which now includes AI literacy, and it’s fast becoming one of the most sought-after graduate competencies in the business world.

Why "just googling it" (or asking ChatGPT) isn't enough

General-purpose AI tools are impressive. They are also, at times, confidently wrong. They can fabricate statistics, misattribute research, and present outdated data as current fact, without any obvious signal that something has gone awry. In an academic essay or a professional report, a single invented figure or hallucinated citation can seriously undermine your credibility.

This isn't an argument against AI. It's an argument for understanding what AI is actually doing when it responds to you. These tools are generating statistically plausible text:  they are not accessing verified, current business information and data. That's a crucial distinction and recognising it, is the foundation of AI literacy.

AI is built into the resources you already have

Here's something many students don't realise: the databases and platforms available to a Middlesex University student already embed AI functionality, but in a responsible, source-grounded way. These tools surface information that is verifiable, current, and academically credible.

Kortext, your digital textbook platform, uses AI Study+ to help you navigate through academic content. The Primo Research Assistant in Library Search helps you discover peer-reviewed journals and e-books. Business Source Complete offers AI Insights: summaries of thousands of full-text business journals and reports. For industry and consumer behaviour intelligence, Mintel’s Leap and IBISWorld’s AI Overview provide AI-powered search capabilities to navigate through thousands of market reports grounded in real primary research, exactly the kind of sources that distinguish a strong business report from a generic one. Capital IQ Pro uses AI to help you access financial data and company intelligence trusted by investment banks and consultancies globally. And the Financial Times’ Ask FT tool helps you discover authoritative, real-time business journalism. Even reputable consultancy firms, such as McKinsey or Accenture, use AI to make their research-backed reports and thought leadership more easily discoverable.

Using AI responsibly

Academic integrity matters. Submitting AI-generated work as your own, without disclosure or critical engagement, is not just an ethical issue; it robs you of the learning your assignments were designed to provide. More practically, it leaves you unable to defend your own work in a seminar, an interview, or a client meeting.

Instead, think of AI as the starting point, not the finishing line. Use it to brainstorm, to get clarifications on an unfamiliar topic, or to help structure your thinking, then verify, interrogate, and build on what you find using the trusted resources available to you. And always acknowledge the use of AI in accordance with the requirements specific to each module.

Ask for help: that's what we're here for

One of the things I valued most as a librarian was helping students unlock resources they didn't know existed. That role hasn't disappeared; it's evolved. Your lecturers, tutors, and librarians are all here to support you in developing these skills. Whether you want guidance on finding reliable information or data, evaluating a source, or navigating the ethical dimensions of AI use in your assignments, please reach out.

The business professionals of tomorrow will not be those who use AI the most, but those who use it most wisely.

About the author

Dr Ioana Mitea is a Business Lecturer at Middlesex University, formerly a Business Librarian and Subject Specialist.