📰 Key Highlights

South Philly librarian Charlie Bailey runs a workshop called “Avoiding AI,” where attendees pull out their phones and get a step-by-step demo on how to disable Apple Intelligence and Gemini. The one-hour session first gives an overview of how AI chatbots and consumer-grade AI tools work, explains why some people want to use them and why others choose to opt out, then walks through slides covering every major platform and device, teaching attendees how to turn off specific AI features. Bailey says the idea was sparked by his frustration with AI tools being shoved into everyday life, and he sees this work as a way to promote digital literacy and help people reclaim their autonomy over whether to use AI. The concept originated with Bangor, Maine public librarian Hannah Cyrus, who published an article introducing her self-made workshop. It attracted dozens of librarians from around the world reaching out for materials, a response she’d never seen before. Cyrus says people often ask her “how do I turn this AI feature off,” “why is it writing my emails for me,” “why is it summarizing a one-sentence email for me.” Her usual “Intro to Computers” class typically only draws a dozen sign-ups, but her first Avoiding AI workshop filled up so fast she had to cap it at 30 with a waitlist and spin up a Zoom livestream — combined attendance across both sessions and the stream hit roughly 70 people. Bailey copied the format in Philly and got the same response, and the library’s Instagram post sparked widespread engagement. See the original link for details.

💬 JudyAI Lab Take

There’s a trend emerging in the US — librarians running workshops to teach people how to “turn off AI,” and every session fills up within an hour. Worth paying attention to if you’re watching the AI space.

Maine librarian Hannah Cyrus originally just wanted to answer questions like “how do I turn this AI feature off,” but when she published her article, librarians from around the world started reaching out for her materials. Philly librarian Charlie Bailey followed suit with his own classes, which also sold out and required waitlists plus livestreams. This points to a design problem that’s often overlooked: when AI features are enabled by default and baked deep into operating systems and email, what users feel isn’t convenience — it’s loss of control. For AI builders, it’s a reminder that making features easy to turn off is just as important as making features easy to use.

Next time you ship a new AI feature, ask yourself first: can users actually find the “one-click off” switch?

📅 Source Info

🔗 Further Reading