Librarians in the United States are running popular “Avoiding AI” workshops for people who feel artificial intelligence features are being imposed on them by large technology companies. The sessions explain how consumer AI tools work and provide practical guidance on disabling features such as Apple Intelligence and Google Gemini, presenting this as a matter of digital literacy and personal choice.

The idea began with Hannah Cyrus of Bangor Public Library in Maine, who received growing requests from patrons wanting to turn off AI functions in email and other services. Her first two workshops drew around 70 people each including livestream viewers, while a similar event in Philadelphia attracted unusually high online engagement, with more than 2,000 Instagram likes and 220 shares; demand led to additional sessions.