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{
"id": 1537769,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1537769/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Osotsi",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": {
"id": 13588,
"legal_name": "Osotsi Godfrey Otieno",
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"content": "Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, we have a serious problem in Kenya. We are deteriorating as a nation in terms of a reading culture. Most of our youth do not read books anymore. Even our adults do not read books anymore. If you ask someone how many books he or she has read in a month, you will realize that they only read the newspaper, WhatsApp, or on internet. You will realize that they do not read books. That is not a good culture for the future of this country. If we have these library services across the country, perhaps it will promote a reading culture. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I agree with Sen. Kinyua that, even as we talk about libraries, let us also take cognizance of the fact that technology is here and is actually declaring everything redundant. The people who work in the media will tell you, for example, in the print media, the newspaper sales have gone down sharply. The Daily Nation and the Standard newspapers or any other newspaper are making fewer sales, and that situation is getting worse by the day. Why? This is because digital spaces are available where people can get access to the same news that newspapers are publishing. By the time the newspaper is printed and delivered, that news is already stale. People have already accessed the news on the digital platform. That is why the newspaper sales are going down and the media is on the verge of collapsing, especially the print media. This is a matter that we need to look at. The same applies to libraries. Why would I spend my time going to library shelves to look for a book, spend almost an hour searching for the right book to read, yet on my phone and using Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology, I can quickly access a book that I want to read, even borrow online and pay for it? So, even though we are encouraging counties to have libraries, soon, once these libraries are started, they will become redundant and you will never see even a single person going there to read a book. So, even as we pass this Bill, let us take cognizance of technology, especially AI technology. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, AI technology is going to drive many people out of business. Even at the universities, professors are now careful how to manage students because students are able to go to AI, read everything, ask any question and it is answered. They do not need someone to stand before them and start telling them anything because AI is there for them. Almost every sector is going to be affected by artificial intelligence. The library sector is one of the sectors that is going to face extinction because of AI. So, as we pass this Bill, let us note that it needs to take cognizance of growth in technology, especially artificial intelligence. You use the artificial platform and they use artificial intelligence algorithm to do a search. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, if you want a book that maybe talks about the Luhya culture, within a few seconds, you will have that book there. That is how Amazon Books work. If you go to Amazon Books, you can buy a book on any title that you want. You can even rent a book on any title and read it. Therefore, when the proposal of this Bill goes back, she should look at what is happening in the digital environment, especially in AI, as far as library management is concerned. We will pass this Bill and our counties are going to invest in libraries, but those libraries might become useless after a short time. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only.A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and Audio Services,Senate."
}