On a recent evening in South Philadelphia, twenty adults sat in a library classroom.
The room had a bright rug with M for "moon" and Z for "zebra."
They did not come for the alphabet.
They came for a workshop called "Avoiding AI."
Librarian Charlie Bailey showed them how to turn off Apple Intelligence and Google Gemini on their phones.
A similar scene played out in Bangor, Maine.
Librarian Hannah Cyrus capped registration at 30.
She opened a waitlist and added a Zoom stream.
About 70 people came to each of her first two workshops.
That far beats her usual computer classes.
The workshops are spreading.
Bailey's Instagram post about "Avoiding AI" got over 2,000 likes and 220 shares.
That is dozens of times more than the library's usual posts.
Librarians from around the world have asked Cyrus for her slides.
"As an information professional, it feels good to see people skeptical of AI," Bailey told TechCrunch.
Meanwhile, 7,000 miles away, a different kind of AI education is taking root.
The American Approach: Digital Autonomy
The "Avoiding AI" workshops are not Luddite protests.
They teach digital literacy.
People want to reclaim control over whether they use AI tools.
Cyrus started the workshop after patrons kept asking: "How do I turn this stuff off? Why is it trying to write my emails for me?"
Bailey does not demonize AI.
He starts each workshop with an overview of how the tech works.
He explains why people might want to use it.
And why they might choose to skip it.
But his core message is about consent.
"It's important, especially when it can be so difficult not to use them," he said.
"The design seems to force adoption."
The sentiment is not fringe.
A Gallup poll from March 2026 found that 71% of Americans oppose AI data centers near their homes.
Nearly half are strongly opposed.
Only 22% support them.
Pew Research found that 50% of American adults are more concerned than excited about AI in daily life.
Even the American Library Association adopted a cautious stance.
On July 16, 2026, it released "Guidance on the Use of AI in Libraries."
The guidance covers "whether to use, how to use, and when to restrict or refuse use."
It passed 114-0 in the ALA Council.
The message is clear: AI is something to manage, contain, and turn off if needed.
The Chinese Approach: AI as Infrastructure
China runs in the opposite direction.
On April 15, 2026, China's Ministry of Education unveiled an "AI Plus Education" action plan.
The goal is a full AI literacy system.
It covers all school levels and lifelong learning.
The plan calls for AI education in local curricula nationwide.
It encourages interdisciplinary AI teaching.
It adds AI to after-school programs.
At the 2026 World Digital Education Conference in Hangzhou, China released two key resources.
The AI Literacy Education Handbook.
And the "Ten Lectures and 100 Questions on AI Literacy" course series.
The handbook has four volumes.
They range from picture-book stories for young kids to interdisciplinary approaches for high schoolers.
The policy is already real.
In Beijing, every primary and secondary student takes at least eight class hours of AI courses per year.
By end of 2025, 87.7% of Beijing schools had adopted AI.
In Shenzhen, one primary school has given all 1,508 students at least one AI lesson per month.
The school has done this since 2021.
The curriculum is not abstract.
At Beijing No. 13 Secondary School, an AI agent analyzes student data.
It looks at class participation, homework, and quiz results.
It creates personalized questions for students at different levels.
Teachers review the machine-made content before using it.
In Wenzhou, students made digital avatars using generative AI.
The avatars introduce local culture in dialect.
At Beijing No. 35 High School, teacher Dong Yue said AI agents now grade student code.
That task used to take "a tremendous amount of time and effort."
China treats AI not as a threat, but as a tool to master.
One principal said: "We teach children how to use large language models to solve problems.
More importantly, we teach them to think critically.
To question whether AI's answers are correct.
To verify information from multiple sources."
The Numbers Tell the Story
The contrast is measurable.
In the U.S.:
- 71% oppose AI data centers near their homes.
- 50% are more concerned than excited about AI.
- Libraries host sold-out workshops on disabling AI.
- ALA guidance stresses "when to restrict or refuse use."
In China:
- 87.7% AI adoption rate in Beijing schools.
- 1,508 students in one Shenzhen school take monthly AI lessons.
- AI courses are mandatory for primary and secondary students nationwide.
- AI knowledge is part of teacher qualification exams.
China runs the world's largest basic education system.
It has more than 220 million students.
The 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) calls for AI to transform education.
It wants AI in "every element, stage and scenario of education."
The Implications
Two countries. Two approaches. Two different futures.
The U.S. approach treats AI as an external force.
Something imposed by tech companies.
Something to doubt.
Something you should have the right to switch off.
The Chinese approach treats AI as an internal skill.
Something to learn.
Something to master.
Something to weave into daily life.
Neither approach is "right."
The American focus on consent reflects individual choice.
The Chinese focus on adoption reflects collective progress.
But the outcomes will differ.
In five years, Chinese students will have grown up with AI as part of school.
They will know how to use it, question it, and build with it.
American students, on the current path, will have learned that AI is suspect.
Something to turn off if you can.
The "Avoiding AI" workshops show a deep cultural stance: AI is a threat to manage.
China's AI literacy system shows a different stance: AI is a tool to use.
One approach prepares citizens to say no.
The other prepares them to say yes.
Both will shape the next generation in ways we are only starting to see.
The global AI race too.
Sources
- TechCrunch (July 25, 2026)
- Yahoo Tech (July 25, 2026)
- American Library Association official announcement (July 16, 2026)
- Gallup poll (March 2026)
- Pew Research Center (2026)
- China Ministry of Education official announcements (April-May 2026)
- Xinhua (July 20, 2026)
- China Daily (April 15, 2026)
Disclaimer: The analysis above is based on publicly available data as of July 27, 2026. All benchmark scores, pricing, and performance claims are sourced from the respective companies' published materials. I am not affiliated with any of the companies mentioned unless explicitly stated. For the most current information, please visit the official sources linked throughout this article.