Librarians' Viral 'Avoiding AI' Workshops Are Drawing Unprecedented Demand

TechCrunch·medium signal

TechCrunch reports on July 25 that public libraries across the US are running oversubscribed 'Avoiding AI' workshops teaching patrons how AI chatbots work and giving step-by-step instructions for turning off AI features on popular platforms and devices. The format originated with Maine librarian Hannah Cyrus, whose first class in fall 2025 enrolled more than 70 people; dozens of librarians worldwide contacted her after she published a journal article on it. This is a consumer-side opt-out signal that mostly doesn't show up in vendor telemetry or AI-adoption surveys.