Librarians turn against Big Tech with viral ‘Avoiding AI’ workshops

The workshops represent a grassroots pushback against the ubiquity of generative tools. Bailey, who launched his program after reading about a similar initiative by Hannah Cyrus at the Bangor Public Library in Maine, provides step-by-step guidance on stripping AI features from personal devices. While the classroom is designed for children—complete with alphabet-themed rugs—the attendees are adults weary of unwanted summarization tools and predictive text features that clutter their digital lives.

Cyrus, who pioneered the curriculum, noted an unprecedented surge in interest compared to her standard computer literacy courses. Her initial sessions hit capacity almost immediately, forcing her to move to a hybrid format to accommodate dozens of participants. In Philadelphia, Bailey saw similar engagement, with social media interest far outpacing typical library event metrics. The sessions often evolve into communal troubleshooting, where attendees swap tips like appending specific search parameters to Google to bypass AI-generated results.

Participants express a range of grievances, from environmental concerns regarding data centers to the exhaustion of having corporate software forced upon their daily workflows. However, the movement is not a blanket rejection of technology. Both organizers and attendees acknowledge the utility of specific applications, such as optical character recognition for archiving. Instead, the workshops function as a form of digital literacy, empowering individuals to decide how—or if—they interact with the tools that increasingly dictate the modern user experience.