Quick Buzz Feed
Fed up with AI features appearing without permission? Librarians in Maine and Philadelphia host workshops teaching how to disable them. Demand is high.
Librarians in Maine and Philadelphia are now providing one-hour workshops that instruct individuals on how to deactivate artificial intelligence features on their personal devices. Hannah Cyrus's 'Avoiding AI' workshops in Maine experienced significantly higher attendance, with about 70 participants per session, in stark contrast to her usual classes, such as 'Intro to Computers,' which typically attract around a dozen people. A social media post from a Philadelphia library advertising the workshop garnered over 2,000 likes, an unusually high engagement compared to the few dozens its other posts usually receive.
Many individuals have likely encountered the unsolicited integration of AI features into their daily digital lives, such as email software automatically generating replies or phones attempting to summarize short messages. This widespread, unasked-for addition of artificial intelligence has led to growing frustration among users. Librarians nationwide have observed this sentiment. Charlie Bailey, a librarian in South Philadelphia, initiated an 'Avoiding AI' workshop in response to recurring complaints from patrons. Bailey noted that the inspiration for the workshop stemmed from the 'frustration with AI tools being kind of forced onto them,' emphasizing that these tools are 'suddenly everywhere in our lives' without user consent. This observation is echoed by Hannah Cyrus, a librarian in Maine, who pioneered the workshop concept after frequently receiving questions from people asking, 'How do I turn this stuff off? 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?'
The workshops are designed to be practical and straightforward. These hour-long sessions educate participants on the functions of AI on their devices and provide actionable steps to disable these features if they choose. Cyrus expressed surprise at the overwhelming response, stating, 'This has never happened before with anything I've worked on. Nobody has ever been emailing me like, 'Can you give me your Intro to Computers slides?'' Following the publication of her journal article detailing the workshop, dozens of librarians from around the world reached out to her, signaling a global interest in the topic. The demand is also evident online, as Bailey had to schedule a second workshop due to the rapid registration for the first. Bailey commented on the positive reception, stating, 'As an information professional, it feels good to see people skeptical of AI. It felt really good to see how many people share this feeling.'
Participants attend these workshops for diverse reasons. Johnny, a Philadelphia workshop attendee, voiced concerns about broader implications, imagining a future where a data center could appear next to his home two years after purchasing it. Gabrielle, another participant, expressed frustration with AI being 'shoved down my throat at work' and its environmental impact, though she clarified she isn't against AI for beneficial applications like medical breakthroughs. Hannah Cyrus believes this forced AI adoption may be a turning point, suggesting it could be 'the straw that's breaking the camel's back in some ways.' She added that public awareness about the outsized influence of tech products and companies has been steadily growing. Essentially, these workshops are not anti-technology but aim to empower individuals with choice. As Charlie Bailey articulated, the primary objective is to help people 'reclaim their autonomy over whether they want to use AI tools.' This ability to control personal technology is increasingly valued, especially by those who feel inundated by automated suggestions, and with global requests for the workshop, this demand for autonomy is clearly on the rise.