Redefining critical literacies and ethics in human–machine conversations in the emergent AI-human zone

Introduction. The ‘Emergent Zone’ is a boundary space where humans and AI co-construct meaning, authorship, and responsibility in response to the transformative impact of conversational information retrieval systems. Method. Develop a conceptual framework by synthesising the information foraging theory, Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), and Kuhlthau’s Zones of Intervention, all grounded in LIS literature and expanded through critical AI perspectives. Analysis. AI’s roles as forager, scaffolder, and intervener are illustrated by illustrative exemplum cases from library references, disinformation detection, and learning environments, revealing both efficiencies and profound challenges to agency and accountability. Results. The framework underscores the urgent need for new critical literacies (e.g., prompt, interpretive, algorithmic, and ethical) and positions meta-literacy as an integrative foundation for LIS. Conclusion. The Emergent Zone advances scholarship on AI–human interaction, calling for new literacies and reimagined pedagogies and ethics in LIS, and proposes future research emphasising justice-oriented and cross-cultural approaches.