These #Maine #librarians are helping patrons resist #AI and #BigTech
by Bridget Huber, July 2, 2026
"In recent months, the #SearsmontME Town Library has added a new service for patrons: Help in removing AI from their phones and other devices.
" 'A lot of times, it’s just telling people that they have choices,' Library Director #StevenBrown said. 'Their phone came a certain way, but they don’t have to use it the way that it came.'
"Brown helps patrons disable AI-powered assistants like Siri or so-called smart features in email and switch from using Google, which doesn’t offer an option to search without AI overviews, to a browser that does.
"A big part of his job as a librarian has been helping people with information technology, he said. He sees helping people think critically about technology and AI as a natural extension of this work.
"While Brown’s long been skeptical of the purported benefits of technology for society, he didn’t start offering the #AIRemoval services until this spring, when he attended a webinar presented by #HannahCyrus, a #BangorME librarian who has become a leading voice in a nationwide movement of librarians who are working to help patrons understand the risks of AI and other technologies.
" 'I seem to have become the face of #AIHaters — which I’m fine with — in the library world,' Cyrus said.
"Cyrus, a reference librarian at the Bangor Public Library, teaches classes on how to use technology. But that doesn’t mean uncritically embracing and promoting it, she said.
" 'I really try to make sure people not only know where to tap or click to get done what they want to do, but to understand the values and issues at play as they’re using different pieces of technology,' she said.
"Commonly used tools like Gmail and Chat GPT are not neutral, she said. 'These are products created by giant #corporations who want your information and want your attention,' she said. “And that has real impacts on our lives.”
"The most popular class Cyrus has taught is called #AvoidingAI, which explains what #GenerativeAI is, some of the concerns around it, and how to disable it and find alternatives. The first time she taught the class in fall of 2025 more than 70 people enrolled. She taught it again this spring, and Brown was one of 20 Maine librarians to enroll. "
Archived version:
https://archive.ph/HRBPH
#AIResistance #BigData #AISucks #MaineLibraries #LibrariesRule! #MaineResists #ResistAI