Turn off/Block AI features

[rowe]

No, post 19 'luddites are not entitled to force their one sided opinions onto the entire user base by gatekeeping software features'

[Gormagon]

Oops...I should have read more thoroughly or I should have used AI or the search function.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by Gormagon

Am I the only one who is reminded of modern Luddites when reading this thread?

"The Luddites were members of a 19th-century movement of English textile workers who opposed the use of certain types of automated machinery due to concerns relating to worker pay and output quality. They often destroyed the machines in organised raids."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luddite

The Capitalists were making x100 to x1000 profit, but paying workers less and giving worse conditions.

It's a myth, a lie, that they opposed progress or machines. It was about greed. They didn't oppose the use of the machines.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by Quoth

OSNews @osnews@mstdn.social
Microsoft will allow you to remove “AI” actions from Windows 11’s context menus

Originally Posted by Sirtel

What AI actions? I don't have any.

I see those actions in my Windows 11 Preview VM. To add to what Quoth posted, you need to be running Windows 11 build 26220.7344 which was released on 2025-Dec-05 for the beta and dev channels.

See Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.7344 (Dev & Beta Channels) for more information.

One friend of mine who is heavily into music is very happy with the possibility of improved MIDI support.

[rjwse@aol.com]

You have a time machine, don't you?

I've gone well beyond a mere time machine. I have a crystal ball (albeit very fuzzy). Those cancer cures and whatnot are happening right now, daily. It is amazing to me how fast medical progress is going. Reliance on AI as a research tool and design tool has sped up all these discoveries.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by DNSB

I see those actions in my Windows 11 Preview VM. To add to what Quoth posted, you need to be running Windows 11 build 26220.7344 which was released on 2025-Dec-05 for the beta and dev channels.

See Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.7344 (Dev & Beta Channels) for more information.

One friend of mine who is heavily into music is very happy with the possibility of improved MIDI support.

Thank you.

[un_pogaz]

I just discovered this thread and I understand why Kovid was a little harsh in my first suggestion for a option to disable AI features. That thread is harsh.

Although I understand the dissatisfaction of some to see AI feature, and I really hate LLM, I also understand that Kovid wanted to include such things, especialy since there is a real demand for such features.
And Kovid do it at the good way, by opt-in and be loaded only at the request of the user only if you configure it.

Else, after a minor revision, a tweak has just been added to hide ai features.
Additional info added by Kovid later

#: Hide AI features
# Hide AI features throughout the calibre user interface. Note that AI is
# already opt-in and no AI related code is even loaded until the user configures some
# AI backend. This tweak exists simply to hide a few menu entries and the like
# that mention AI.
hide_ai_features = False

We could argue that the appearance of entries in the menus was an unpleasant surprise for users who don't want to see anything about AI, but this thread escalated too quickly to politely present an idea as simple as "Add a option to hide AI" like above.

[Rand Brittain]

Hiding the features is beside the point. We aren't mad that the software has dirty AI code in it and we don't want it on our fingers; we're mad because the decision to include "AI" features in the software is a sign that the developer has poor judgment.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by Rand Brittain

Hiding the features is beside the point. We aren't mad that the software has dirty AI code in it and we don't want it on our fingers; we're mad because the decision to include "AI" features in the software is a sign that the developer has poor judgment.

In your opinion. Well, you're welcome to find a developer with better judgment then.

[Rand Brittain]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

In your opinion. Well, you're welcome to find a developer with better judgment then.

Calibre is kind of the only option right now, which is why people are concerned.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Rand Brittain

Hiding the features is beside the point. We aren't mad that the software has dirty AI code in it and we don't want it on our fingers; we're mad because the decision to include "AI" features in the software is a sign that the developer has poor judgment.

While I'm not in favor of AI in calibre, I'm OK with it since it doesn't run the AI code unless I request it. And with an option coming to hide the AI options, that should satisfy everyone who is against AI.

So can every who is against the AI please be polite? Thanks.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by Rand Brittain

Calibre is kind of the only option right now, which is why people are concerned.

You can always stop updating. Even ancient versions of calibre still work perfectly well. There are no forced updates either. No one is forcing you to use the AI if you so despise it that even the presence of the inactive code offends you.

[DiapDealer]

It's really rather silly how much of a stink this has raised. There is absolutely no way for anyone to accidentally enable these features. You either have to use an online llvm (and that involves creating accounts, Personal Access Tokens and/or API keys) and explicitly tell calibre how to connect to it. Or you have to setup your own local server and explicitly tell calibre how to connect to it. Those who wanted the ability are happy to jump through all the hoops to make it work and I would think those who don't want it would be happy that there is no AI code within Calibre that they might accidentally activate.

I would question the judgement of any developer who ignored the requests of the many just to pointlessly appease the few. In my opinion, Kovid has generously accommodated both.

[Gormagon]

Originally Posted by Rand Brittain

We aren't mad that the software has dirty AI code in it and we don't want it on our fingers (...)

Oh, it's a discussion of pureness and clean code then? "Dirty AI code"...it's get crazier with every entry here.

Originally Posted by Rand Brittain

(...) we're mad because the decision to include "AI" features in the software is a sign that the developer has poor judgment.

If you don't like what the developer does, then don't use his software or else write in the best of your obviously excellent and objective judgement, which is surely beyond all doubt, your own piece of clean and pure code and use it for yourself. It's easy as that. Oh, and don't share it with those dirty, impure people who have no problem with AI features even when they don't use it.