Ana Julia Bustos, Ernesto Faerron-Chavarría
To analyze how access to and use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools contributes to the reproduction or reduction of social inequalities among Library Science students at the Universidad Estatal a Distancia (UNED) in Costa Rica. A mixed-methods (qualitative-quantitative) descriptive design was employed. A structured 35-item questionnaire, comprising Likert scales, multiple-choice, and open-ended questions, was administered to 25 students enrolled in the Library Science diploma program’s Information Processing course during the first semester of 2026, using non-probabilistic convenience sampling. Although 92 % of students have used AI tools, the data reveal stark territorial disparities: 33 % of those residing outside the Greater Metropolitan Area (GAM) must travel to obtain stable internet access, compared with 0 % within the GAM. Furthermore, 44.4 % of rural students reported recurring technical difficulties. Sixty percent expressed distrust of AI reliability, 64 % had detected fabricated bibliographic references, and 40 % stated they would accept AI-generated information without critical verification. AI functions as an amplifier of pre-existing structural inequalities, geographic, socioeconomic, and gender-based, rather than a leveler. Achieving equity demands institutional policiesthat ensure adequate infrastructure, critical digital literacy, and intentional pedagogical integration, beyond the mere provision of technological access.