
At libraries around the country, "Avoiding AI" workshops have elicited unprecedented demand.
Will the number of US public libraries offering 'Avoiding AI' or AI-skeptic workshops exceed 500 by end of 2026?
Resolves by Dec 31, 2026
Librarians are hosting workshops that teach people how to disable AI features on their devices and platforms. The workshops were inspired by widespread frustration with AI tools being automatically integrated into consumer technology without user consent. Attendance has been unexpectedly high, with some libraries reporting over 2,000 social media interactions and requiring waitlists. Librarians frame this effort as advancing digital literacy and helping people regain control over their technology use rather than rejecting AI entirely.

A running look — in reverse chronological order — at the bigger tech companies that have announced significant layoffs this year with AI as a stated factor.

Plus: Russian hackers are trying to steal US nuclear scientists’ emails, the State Department bans known scammers from entering the United States, and more.

Anyone who has used the Internet in recent years is probably used to encountering telltale signs of LLM prompting that lazy users sometimes forget to remove from their AI-generated pabulum. But a Canadian legislator took that idea to an embarrassing new level this week, reading an apparent LLM prompt instruction into the record during a floor speech. Bill Oliver, a Progressive Conservative Party member of the legislative assembly of New Brunswick, noted in a speech last month that "One of the da
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