AI Tech / news
Librarians Offer 'Avoiding AI' Workshops as Demand Surges
Librarians across the US are hosting popular workshops that teach attendees how to disable artificial intelligence features on their devices, driven by public frustration with unsolicited AI integration.
Charlie Bailey, a librarian in South Philadelphia, leads one such session, called Avoiding AI, in a children's library classroom. The room is filled with about 20 adults, all eager to learn how to turn off Apple Intelligence and Google's Gemini on their smartphones.
Bailey begins the hour-long workshop with an overview of how AI chatbots and consumer AI tools function, explaining both the benefits and reasons one might choose to avoid them. He then projects step-by-step instructions to guide participants through disabling specific AI features on popular tech platforms and devices.
The workshops have drawn unprecedented demand at libraries nationwide, reflecting a widespread desire to reclaim control over technology. Bailey sees the program as an extension of digital literacy efforts, helping people exercise autonomy over the AI tools that have become ubiquitous in daily life.
“I was inspired by the feeling of people’s frustration with AI tools being kind of forced onto them,” Bailey said. “It’s important, especially when it can be so difficult not to use them, and when the design seems to force adoption.”