The Free Library of Philadelphia has expanded its Critical AI Literacy series with a hands-on workshop designed to help residents deal with the growing presence of AI in everyday technology. The event, called “Avoiding AI: A Hands-on Workshop,” was held Tuesday at the Free Library’s South Philadelphia location.

The workshop focused on a practical question that many technology users are now facing: what can people do when AI features appear in products and services they already use?

Instead of focusing only on how to use AI tools, the session showed participants how to identify and disable unwanted AI features in operating systems and popular applications. Privacy was also an important part of the discussion.

Charlie Bailey, a librarian at the South Philadelphia Library, organized the workshop with the Library Freedom Project. He said people are increasingly seeing AI features added to websites, applications and other digital services without actively choosing to turn them on.

That concern is at the center of the Critical AI Literacy series. The goal is not simply to teach people about AI technology, but to help them understand how it affects their daily lives and what decisions they can make when using digital services.

Let me explain this in the clearest, simplest terms.

AI is becoming part of search engines, smartphones, office software and many other digital products. For some users, these additions are useful. For others, they can change familiar interfaces, create privacy concerns or make it harder to understand how information is produced.

The Philadelphia workshop gives residents practical knowledge instead of leaving those questions at a technical level. Participants can learn about the controls available in the software they use and consider whether certain AI features are useful or necessary for them.

Bailey said learning how to avoid or limit AI can now be as important as learning how to use it. That approach gives the Critical AI Literacy program a different focus from many technology education efforts, which often concentrate on adoption and productivity.

The wider purpose of the series is also important. Bailey and the Library Freedom Project want Philadelphia residents to understand the social, environmental and civic issues connected to AI.

Alison Macrina, founder of the Library Freedom Project, said librarians are increasingly seeing problems caused by AI-generated information. People may be uncertain about whether information is real, how it was created and where they can find reliable sources.

That makes libraries an important place for AI education. Libraries already help people find, evaluate and understand information. The growth of AI-generated content adds another layer to that responsibility.

The Critical AI Literacy series therefore looks beyond technical terminology. The workshops aim to explain what AI systems can actually do, what their limitations are and how those systems affect people who use them.

The approach also gives residents a chance to think about technology from their own perspective. Rather than assuming that everyone wants more AI, the program recognizes that people have different needs and concerns.

Privacy was one of the concerns raised by people attending the workshop. Some participants said they wanted greater control over how AI appears in the products and services they use.

Mary Smith and D’ahna Oakman, who learned about the event through social media, attended because of concerns about privacy and the increasing role of AI in everyday life.

Oakman said she wanted the choice to use AI rather than having it feel imposed. Smith, meanwhile, questioned whether she needed AI at all, noting that she had managed many tasks without it.

Those views show why Critical AI Literacy matters beyond technical training. The debate is no longer only about whether AI can perform a task. It is also about whether people want a particular AI feature, what information it uses and how much control users have.

The Library Freedom Project believes people should continue to have a say in how technology shapes their lives. Macrina emphasized that humans make technology and can make decisions about how it is used.

A representative of the Library Freedom Project, Tess Wilson, also emphasized the important level of trust libraries hold within many communities. Libraries generally provide information as a public service rather than trying to sell users a product, making them a natural setting for conversations about privacy, information quality and AI.

For Philadelphia residents, the workshop could therefore serve as a practical starting point for understanding a technology that is becoming harder to avoid. It also shows that AI education does not have to mean encouraging everyone to adopt AI.