Librarians Host Viral 'Avoiding AI' Workshops Nationwide

When Charlie Bailey asked his audience to pull out their phones at a South Philadelphia library, he wasn't teaching them how to use AI. He was showing them how to turn it off.

Bailey is part of a growing movement of librarians helping people reclaim control over the AI tools suddenly appearing in their lives without warning. His "Avoiding AI" workshop drew so many signups that the library's Instagram post got 2,000 likes, compared to the usual few dozen.

The trend started with Hannah Cyrus, a librarian at Bangor Public Library in Maine. She kept hearing the same frustrated questions from patrons: "Why is it trying to write my emails for me? Why is it trying to summarize my one-sentence email that I can easily read?"

Cyrus created a workshop explaining how AI chatbots work and, more importantly, how to disable them. She expected a dozen people. Instead, 70 showed up to her first session, including those who joined via livestream.

After Cyrus published a journal article about her workshop, dozens of librarians from around the world reached out asking for her materials. Bailey was one of them, and he brought the concept to Philadelphia with similar results.

The hour-long workshops walk through popular tech platforms step by step, showing exactly where to click to disable features like Apple Intelligence and Gemini. Attendees swap tips too. One person shared that adding "&udm=14" to a Google search hides AI results.

The Ripple Effect

The workshops have created unexpected community among strangers united by frustration. At Bailey's session, attendees voiced concerns ranging from environmental impact to losing autonomy over their own devices.

"I keep getting AI shoved down my throat at work, and every time I see it, I think about the environment," one attendee named Gabrielle shared. She clarified she's not against all AI, especially medical applications, just the forced adoption.

Both librarians emphasize this isn't about rejecting technology altogether. Cyrus acknowledges AI tools like optical character recognition help her scan old documents at the library. The movement is about choice.

"As a librarian, I think it's important to see this as advancing digital literacy and helping people reclaim their autonomy," Bailey said. People want control over whether they use AI tools, especially when design seems to force adoption.

Cyrus believes the forced integration of AI into everyday devices might be a turning point. People are increasingly aware that tech companies have outsized influence over how they use products they own.

The workshops prove people aren't just passively accepting every new feature that appears on their screens—they're actively seeking knowledge to make their own choices about technology.