Avoiding AI workshops are attracting growing interest as frustrated technology users search for ways to disable artificial intelligence features appearing across their phones, computers and online services.
Public librarians in the United States are now helping people understand how consumer AI systems work, where they appear and how certain features can be switched off.
The workshops are not mainly aimed at people who completely reject artificial intelligence. Instead, they focus on digital choice, privacy and the right to decide whether AI tools should be active on personal devices.
At one recent session in South Philadelphia, around 20 adults took out their phones as librarian Charlie Bailey guided them through the process of turning off features such as Apple Intelligence and Google Gemini.
The hour-long programme, called Avoiding AI, reflects a wider concern among consumers who feel that AI features are being introduced without clear permission.
Why Avoiding AI Workshops Are Drawing Crowds
Bailey developed the workshop after noticing growing frustration over AI tools appearing automatically in everyday technology.
Email services may suggest responses. Search engines may display AI-generated summaries. Smartphones may offer writing assistance, image tools or automated notifications.
While some users welcome these features, others believe they are being pressured into using technology they never requested.
Bailey’s workshop begins with a simple explanation of how chatbots and other consumer AI systems operate. He then discusses the possible benefits and concerns before showing participants how to adjust settings on popular platforms.
The aim is not to tell people whether AI is good or bad. It is to give them enough information to make their own decisions.
For librarians, that approach is closely connected to digital literacy. Many people know how to use a smartphone but may not understand how new features collect information, generate content or influence what appears on their screens.
Librarians Become Guides in the AI Era
Bailey was inspired by Hannah Cyrus, a librarian at Bangor Public Library in Maine who created a similar programme after receiving frequent questions from visitors.
Library users repeatedly asked why AI was trying to write their emails, summarise short messages or appear in services they had used for years without artificial intelligence.
Cyrus realised that many people needed more than technical instructions. They also wanted a clear explanation of what was happening behind the screen.
Her Avoiding AI workshops proved far more popular than traditional computer classes.
Standard technology lessons at the library usually attract about 12 people. However, demand for the AI programme was so high that registration had to be limited to 30 participants.
A waiting list was created, and the workshop was also broadcast online. When in-person and virtual attendance were combined, around 70 people joined each of the first two sessions.
The response showed that concern over unwanted AI adoption was not limited to technology experts or privacy activists. Ordinary consumers also wanted practical ways to control their devices.
Philadelphia Workshop Goes Viral Online
The Philadelphia programme received a similarly strong reaction.
A social media post promoting the workshop attracted more than 2,000 likes and about 220 shares. Most posts from the library normally receive only a few dozen likes.
Interest was so high that Bailey organised a second session after the first event attracted more registrations than expected.
The online reaction suggests that Avoiding AI workshops are addressing a concern shared by people far beyond the communities where the classes are held.
Many users do not necessarily oppose technological development. However, they want companies to provide clearer settings, simple opt-out choices and better explanations of how AI features operate.
Participants Share Concerns About AI Expansion
The workshops also give attendees a place to discuss how artificial intelligence is changing daily life.
During Bailey’s session, participants exchanged tips for reducing AI-generated content in online searches and adjusting settings across major technology platforms.
Some attendees raised concerns about the environmental impact of the data centres needed to train and operate large AI systems. Others spoke about workplace pressure to use AI tools even when they did not believe the technology was necessary.
However, the discussion was not completely anti-AI.
Several participants recognised that artificial intelligence can support medical research, document scanning and other useful services. Optical character recognition, for example, can help libraries digitise historical records and make old documents easier to search.
The central issue was not whether AI should exist. It was whether people should be able to choose when and how they use it.
Avoiding AI Workshops Focus on Choice, Not Rejection
The growing interest in Avoiding AI workshops shows that the public debate is becoming more complex.
Consumers are no longer only asking what artificial intelligence can do. They are also asking who controls it, when it should appear and whether companies should activate it automatically.
For some people, AI-generated search results are helpful. For others, they make it harder to find original websites and trusted information.
Some users appreciate automated email suggestions. Others see them as unnecessary additions to tasks they can complete without assistance.
This difference in preferences is why workshop organisers are focusing on user autonomy.
They believe consumers should receive clear information and straightforward controls rather than being forced to search through complicated menus to disable unwanted features.
Big Tech Faces Growing User Frustration
Technology companies have invested heavily in bringing artificial intelligence into smartphones, search engines, productivity software and communication platforms.
However, rapid adoption has created tension between innovation and consumer consent.
Many AI features are promoted as improvements that save time and simplify tasks. Yet users may feel uncomfortable when those features appear automatically or are difficult to remove.
The popularity of library workshops suggests that the pushback is not simply resistance to new technology. It may reflect broader concerns about the influence large technology companies have over digital life.
Users want to understand what their devices are doing, what information is being processed and whether they can continue using familiar services without AI assistance.
Public Libraries Fill an Important Knowledge Gap
Libraries have traditionally helped communities access reliable information. Their role is now expanding as technology becomes more complicated.
By hosting Avoiding AI workshops, librarians are helping people navigate digital systems that often change faster than users can understand them.
The sessions provide practical guidance without requiring participants to buy software, subscribe to a service or possess advanced technical knowledge.
They also create a neutral space where people can discuss both the benefits and risks of artificial intelligence.
As AI becomes more deeply integrated into everyday products, similar programmes could spread to more libraries, schools and community centres.
For many consumers, the message is simple: using artificial intelligence should remain a choice rather than an unavoidable condition of owning a modern device.
