Fans of generative AI keep trying to tell us that it’s inevitable and that we will be “left behind” if we do not adopt it. In reality, there are many people resisting it, documenting its failures, and refusing to use it.
Refusing
- Register your identity as prohibiting the use of AI with this tool from RSL Media.
- Check out my list of how to avoid using generative AI.
- Read about the Unitarian Universalist software developer who successfully fought for an exemption from using AI at work.
- Meghan Elison — a refusal to appear at events where genAI is promoted
- Amanda Silberling (2026), “Librarians are hosting viral ‘Avoiding Al’ workshops for people who are fed up with Big Tech.” Tech Crunch.
- Hannah Cyrus (2026), “Refusal as Instruction: Equipping Patrons to Resist Al, Data Brokers, Big Tech, & More.” Information Technology and Libraries, 45(1). doi.org/10.5860/ital.v45i1.17653
Resisting
- Check out the AI Resist List.
- Read: Tania Duarte et al (2025), Resisting, Refusing, Reclaiming, Reimagining: Charting Challenges to Narratives of AI Inevitability.
- Read: Luke Plunkett (2026), “Welcome To The Resistance: Meet The Workers Dodging (And Sabotaging) Their Employer’s AI Mandates.” Aftermath.
- AI CSAM Report 2026 — Harm without limits: AI child sexual abuse material through the eyes of our Analysts (PDF) — Internet Watch Foundation
- Check out Mickie Mueller’s Human Intelligence Project.
- Stop ICE surveillance with AI and Flock cameras
- 📕 Resisting AI: An anti-fascist approach to artificial intelligence by Dan McQuillan
- Philip Nel (2025), “How to resist the lure of AI” (and why you should)
- The Pro-Human Declaration
- Sign the Pro-Human Statement
- Earthboard.art – creating and sharing art without AI
- Artists against generative AI Facebook group
- “No AI” icon — add an icon to your content to show that it was created by a human.
Reimagining
- Pagans, polytheists, Heathens, animists: contribute to the anthology of responses to AI that I’m editing.
- Buddhism and AI initiative. https://www.engagedbuddhists.ai/
- Samrat Devidas Tayade (2025), “Buddhism in Artificial Intelligence: Rethinking Consciousness, Ethics, and Human Values in Artificial Intelligence. IJRAR, May 2025, Volume 12, Issue 2.
- Pope Leo XIV (2026), Magnificent Humanity (encyclical).
- Sophia Rehman (2026), “Muslims and the Machine: Towards an Islamic Ethical Use of AI.” Amaliah.
- Harikumar Pallathadka, Parag Deb Roy (2025), ‘Hindu Responses to Artificial Intelligence: Theological and Ethical Frameworks for Human-Technology Relationships.’ International Journal for Research Trends in Social Science & Humanities. Volume 3 Issue 2, Mar-Apr 2025, pp. 868-890 (PDF)
- Sreevas Sahasranamam (2026), ‘AI and Hinduism: Opening a Conversation on Technology, Faith, and Civilisational Futures.’ AI & Hinduism | Sreeva’s Notes.
- Judaism and Artificial Intelligence. Chabad.org.
- M Navon (2024), “Let us make man in our image-a Jewish ethical perspective on creating conscious robots.” AI Ethics 4, 1235–1250.
- Devinder Pal Singh (2024), ‘AI and Sikhism: Ethical Stewardship and Moral Challenges in the Digital Age.’ SikhNet.
- Stop the race to replace: Petition to slow down AI development.
- ‘A Pro-Human Path for AI.’ Future of Life Institute.
Reclaiming
One way to reclaim AI is to only run LLMs locally on your own computer.
Replacing
- Delphi Tools — a collection of useful file manipulation tools with no registration required
- Fybe Arts — a no genAI replacement for Etsy
- Mojeek search engine — has its own web crawler and doesn’t reuse Google or Bing. No AI.
- Marginalia search — prioritizes non-commercial content
- Ruby Helyer (2025), Reclaim creativity: I ditched AI features with these 6 powerful design tools. QXDA.
- Ian Dean (2026), 5 AI-free apps every artist needs to try in 2026. CreativeBloq.
Four of the categories on this page are from a 2025 paper:
I’ll update this page with more information as more anti-AI tools and resources come online.