A school librarian from the United Kingdom was told to pull books that the school called “upsetting”—a list that one group said the school compiled by asking an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot.
According to Index on Censorship, who spoke to the librarian on the condition of anonymity, she was shocked when senior staff at her secondary school told her to earmark nearly 200 books for removal from the library.
The books that were pulled were determined by the school to be “not written for children”, with “themes that could be upsetting to children” and that “constitute a safeguarding risk.”
The librarian, however, refused to pull the books and was designated as a safeguarding risk as a result. She later quit her job, citing the severe stress of the ongoing fight.
The librarian’s identity was hidden upon her request. Local reporting later identified the school in question as The Lowry Academy in Salford.
The Banned Books
Index on Censorship reported that the removed books started with Laura Bates’ book Men Who Hate Women, which takes a hard look at incel culture. The librarian was apparently disappointed, but she removed the book to the staff library, where it was later banned again.
Other books that were removed included Michelle Obama’s autobiography, as well as The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks, a graphic novel version of 1984 by George Orwell and the Twilight series.
The school admitted in a document seen by Index on Censorship that the reasons for removing the books were written using artificial intelligence. It was not clear whether the list itself was generated by AI.
The librarian requested anonymity from Index on Censorship citing concerns about legal repercussions from both the school and the public if her name was available.
Caroline Roche, chair of the School Libraries Group, told Index on Censorship the punishment was, “over the top. It’s ruined her career.”
She added: “The fact it’s gone through safeguarding means [she] will never be able to work in a school again.”
‘Follow the money’
Commentators on Reddit’s r/technology forum were generally disgusted by the school’s actions amid 1,100 comments.
“1984 is always one of the first to go,” one contributor noted, adding, “Funny, that.”
Another person asked, “Why does it seem like AI is not being used to make humanity better, or push us into the future?”
Elsewhere, “Follow the money,” a fellow commenter replied.
“Most AI services are run by tech billionaires who want to eventually phase out human labor and create a surveillance state.
“It would not be in their best interest to make things better as it would be less profitable.”
Finally, one individual expressed major concerns about the librarian: “Are people glossing over the fact that the librarian who opposed this was reported to the council for being a safeguarding concern?
“This will permanently ruin her employment opportunities.”
Newsweek has reached out to The Lowry Academy for comment via email.
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