U.S. libraries spark a “Avoiding AI” workshop craze: Bango Public Library staffer Hannah Cyrus in Maine runs a course titled “Avoiding AI.” The first session, which had 30 people registered, was immediately capped; after adding a Zoom live stream, about 70 people attended each of the next two sessions—several times more than the usual computer class. She later turned her course development experience into a journal paper and received inquiry emails from dozens of librarians worldwide asking whether she could share the slides—something that has never happened in her career before.
Bangor Public Library Hannah Cyrus: First Avoiding AI workshop registration oversubscribed
According to TechCrunch’s report, Hannah Cyrus originally taught basic computer classes, which typically drew about a dozen registrants. But she noticed that people began asking questions like: “How do I turn this AI feature off?” and “Why does it insist on writing emails for me?” She then designed a course: first explaining the operating logic of AI tools, then discussing why some people want to use them and others want to refuse them, and finally guiding students through the actual steps to disable the features.
The first workshop hit its limit at 30 registrations, then added a waitlist and a Zoom live stream; each of the next two sessions had about 70 attendees. Cyrus turned her course development experience into a journal paper and received emails from librarians around the world asking if she could share the slides—something she said has never occurred in her career.
Philadelphia’s Charlie Bailey: Teaches how to turn off Apple Intelligence and Gemini in under an hour
According to TechCrunch’s report, after reading Cyrus’s paper, Charlie Bailey, a library staffer in the southern part of Philadelphia, followed up by setting up a workshop. After a brief introduction to how AI chatbots and consumer AI tools work, he demonstrated—step by step—the process to turn off mainstream platforms like Apple Intelligence and Gemini. The entire session took less than an hour.
Bailey said he wasn’t trying to demonize AI, but to treat it as an extension of digital literacy: “Helping people regain the autonomy to decide whether they want to use AI tools.” He noted that AI features are often enabled by default, while the path to turn them off is designed to be deeply buried, making it hard to refuse. At the workshop, members of the public also shared that after running a Google search, adding “&udm=14” can hide AI-generated search results.
Gallup and Pew Research survey data: 71% oppose AI data centers
Based on the specific data from the two surveys, Americans’ concerns about AI show a clear, quantified trend:
Gallup (this March): 71% of Americans oppose building AI data centers near their homes; 48% strongly oppose; only 22% say they support it
Regional breakdown: The Midwest has the highest opposition rate at 76%, while the West is relatively lowest but still at 63%, suggesting broad consensus across parties and regions
Pew Research Center: 50% of U.S. adults are “more worried than excited” about AI entering everyday life, compared with only 10% who feel the opposite; in the first survey in 2021, the “more worried than excited” figure was only 37%
FAQ
What is the origin of the U.S. library “Avoiding AI” workshop?
According to TechCrunch’s report, the course originated with Hannah Cyrus, a staff member at the Bangor Public Library in Maine. After noticing that the public was repeatedly asking how to turn off AI features, she designed the course; after the first session’s registration was oversubscribed, her journal paper led librarians around the world to ask widely about the slides.
What did Gallup find in its survey on Americans and AI data centers?
According to Gallup’s poll this March, 71% of Americans oppose building AI data centers near their homes, including 48% who strongly oppose. Only 22% support. The opposition rate is highest in the Midwest (76%).
What trend does Pew Research Center’s survey show about Americans’ attitudes toward AI?
According to Pew Research Center’s survey, currently 50% of U.S. adults think AI entering daily life is “more worrying than exciting,” with only 10% holding the opposite view. In the first survey in 2021, the “more worrying than exciting” proportion was 37%, showing that concerns have continued to rise over the past six years.
