Librarians are hosting viral ‘Avoiding AI’ workshops for people who are fed up with Big Tech

Librarians Can’t Keep Up With Demand for “Avoiding AI” Workshops — and That’s a Signal for Developers

When a library’s Instagram post about a new workshop gets over 2,000 likes and 220 shares, something unusual is happening. For the Free Library of Philadelphia’s South Philadelphia branch, where most posts normally earn only a few dozen likes, that response pointed to a deep well of frustration among ordinary technology users. The workshop: “Avoiding AI.”

Charlie Bailey, a librarian in South Philadelphia, created the session after being inspired by a colleague in Maine, Hannah Cyrus. Cyrus had published a journal article about developing her own “Avoiding AI” workshop at the Bangor Public Library. The response was unlike anything either had seen before. “This has never happened before with anything I’ve worked on,” Cyrus told TechCrunch. “Nobody has ever been emailing me like, ‘Can you give me your Intro to Computers slides?’”

Bailey’s workshop runs about an hour. He starts with a basic overview of how AI chatbots and consumer AI tools work, explaining why someone might want to use them — and why they might not. Then he walks through the most popular tech platforms and devices, projecting step-by-step instructions for turning off specific AI features. At the South Philadelphia session, attendees pulled out their phones while Bailey demonstrated disabling Apple Intelligence and Gemini. “I was inspired by the feeling of people’s frustration with AI tools being kind of forced onto them, and feeling like AI tools we didn’t ask for are suddenly everywhere in our lives,” Bailey said.

Attendance numbers tell the story. Cyrus’s usual “Intro to Computers” class draws about a dozen people. For her first “Avoiding AI” workshop, she had to cap registration at 30, open a waitlist, and livestream the session on Zoom. Roughly 70 people attended each of her first two workshops — counting both in-person and streaming viewers. Bailey scheduled a second program after the first one filled too quickly.

The workshops are not anti-technology. They are about choice. “As a librarian, I think it’s important to see this as advancing digital literacy and helping people reclaim their autonomy over whether they want to use AI tools,” Bailey said. “It’s important, especially when it can be so difficult not to use them, and when the design seems to force adoption.”

Why This Matters to People Building AI-Powered Products

For developers and product teams, the “Avoiding AI” phenomenon is a data point worth taking seriously. It suggests that a meaningful segment of the user base — not just a handful of technophobes — actively resists having AI infused into their daily tools. The workshops consistently draw overflow crowds, waitlists, and enthusiastic sharing. The question “How do I turn this stuff off?” is coming from real people, not from fringe forums.

Consider the specific frustrations Cyrus heard 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?” These are complaints about unrequested assistance. The AI is not failing; from a technical standpoint, it is working exactly as designed. But the user does not want that feature, and the default is on.

This is a critical distinction. Many developers view AI features as value-adds that users will love once they try them. The librarians’ experience suggests that the opposite can happen: when users feel that AI is being foisted upon them, the friction erodes trust. For builders, the lesson is that consent and discoverability matter as much as capability.

Furthermore, the success of these workshops demonstrates a hunger for plain-language education about AI — not just how to use it, but what it is and how to control it. Cyrus and Bailey are providing digital literacy that technology companies themselves often neglect. “As an information professional, it feels good to see people skeptical of AI,” Bailey said. “It felt really good to see how many people share this feeling.”

Practical Takeaways for Developers and Product Teams

The “Avoiding AI” movement offers several concrete lessons for anyone shipping software that includes AI components.

• Offer simple, persistent off-switches. The librarians’ most requested task is disabling AI features across platforms. If a user has to search for confirmation dialogs or dig into settings menus, they feel tricked. A single toggle visible in a main settings screen — or even during onboarding — demonstrates respect for user agency.
• Default to opt-in for new AI capabilities. Pushing updates that enable AI by default risks backlash. The librarians’ patrons did not ask for email summarization or search suggestions. When you change the user’s existing experience without asking, you create the exact frustration driving people to “Avoiding AI” workshops.
• Separate AI features from core functionality. If your product’s core value does not depend on AI, consider serving AI-powered enhancements as optional modules. Users who want them can enable them; those who do not are not forced to navigate around unwanted assistants.
• Invest in user education, not just user activation. Cyrus and Bailey are filling a void that tech companies have left open. Providing clear, jargon-free explanations of how an AI feature works and what data it uses could preempt suspicion. Developer blogs and release notes reach a technical audience, but everyday users need accessible materials too.
• Watch for the “&udm=14” signal. During Bailey’s workshop, an attendee shared that appending &udm=14 to a Google Search URL hides AI results. Bailey wrote it on a whiteboard. That kind of user-generated workaround is a clear signal: people are actively seeking ways to strip AI from their experience. If you make them hack your product to feel in control, you have already lost trust.

For developers evaluating which models to use in their products, it is also worth noting that the pushback is not about any specific AI provider. The workshops target all major consumer AI features — Apple Intelligence, Gemini, and others. The sentiment is not anti-OpenAI or anti-Google; it is anti-default-opt-in. This is one reason why transparent API pricing and clear documentation remain important: users who choose to integrate AI often want to know exactly what they are getting. (See our LLM API pricing reference for a side-by-side view of commercial and open models.)

At the same time, the demand for “Avoiding AI” does not mean all AI features are unwelcome. The librarians themselves note that their workshops cover both the pros and cons of AI use. The issue is force. Developers who build intentional, opt-in AI tools — such as creative applications where the user explicitly invokes AI — are less likely to face this kind of resistance. Context matters: summarizing a one-sentence email feels invasive; generating a custom illustration on demand feels empowering.

A Broader Signal for the Industry

The “Avoiding AI” workshops are not an isolated protest. They tap into a wider sentiment: many people are tired of having their hardware, software, and workflows changed without consultation. The librarians frame their work as advancing digital literacy and helping people reclaim autonomy. For product managers and engineers, that framing should sound familiar — it echoes the core principles of good UX design.

One attendee at Bailey’s workshop voiced a worry that goes beyond interface friction: “You have to go through all the trouble to buy a home in today’s world, and two years from now, there could be a data center next to your house.” That comment hints at broader unease about the physical and environmental footprint of AI infrastructure. It is a reminder that skepticism about AI is not just about buttons and toggles; it can include concerns about privacy, energy, and the direction of technology as a whole.

Developers cannot solve all of those anxieties with a better settings page. But acknowledging that a significant number of users want the option to decline is a good first step. The librarians have shown that when you offer that option clearly and respectfully, people will show up — sometimes 70 at a time.

The takeaway for builders is straightforward: design for user agency from the start. Build the off-switch before you build the feature. And listen when real users ask, “Why is it trying to write my email?” They are telling you something important about how software should serve people, not the other way around.

Source: TechCrunch. Details as reported; verify specifics at the source.