The rapid integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into scholarly communication is reshaping the academic knowledge economy. AI-driven systems promise efficiency and scalability and predominantly developed and governed by commercial people whose priorities may conflict with core academic values such as openness, equity, intellectual freedom, and accountability. At the same time, recent global AI policy developments (2024–2025) and professional library frameworks, emphasize responsible, human-centric AI. This article explains that academic libraries can function as ethical mediators within the AI knowledge economy, mediating between academia, industry, AI technologies, and emerging policy systems. The study is about policy analysis and literature from information ethics, library science, and AI governance to conceptualize libraries as institutional entities capable of translating ethical principles into operational practice through governance, procurement, education, and data stewardship. The article concludes that strengthening the intermediary role of academic libraries is essential for ensuring that AI supports knowledge as a public commodity rather than a purely commercial asset.
Keertee Ramchandra Parchure (2026) studied this question.