Key facts
- The North Chatham Free Library, with about 800 cardholders, is offering a 'Bye Bye AI' class.
- The class aims to help people turn off AI features on their phones and laptops.
- The event flyer for 'Bye Bye AI' went viral on Facebook, receiving over 200 comments and 8,000 likes.
- Librarian Shea Wert created the class in response to community demand and noticed patrons were frustrated by features like Gmail auto-replies and auto-completes.
- Another librarian, Hannah Cyrus, has successfully run similar classes and shared her materials with librarians worldwide.
- Most patrons seeking help with AI or tech are older adults.
The North Chatham Free Library, a small public library in upstate New York serving approximately 800 cardholders, has gained unexpected national attention for an upcoming event titled 'Bye Bye AI.' The class, designed to help patrons disable artificial intelligence features on their phones and laptops, has gone viral on Facebook, drawing comments and inquiries from across the country and even internationally.
Library director Shea Wert created the event in response to direct requests from community members who expressed frustration with AI-driven features like automatic email replies and predictive text. Wert was inspired by a similar initiative led by librarian Hannah Cyrus, who has successfully offered classes on avoiding AI tools and shared her presentation materials widely among library professionals.
Cyrus's work, published in a library studies journal, suggests that libraries have a role in facilitating patrons' rejection of technology, not just its adoption. Both Wert and Cyrus noted that older adults are the primary demographic seeking assistance with AI and general tech issues, often feeling overwhelmed by new features integrated into services they already use.