Turn off/Block AI features - Page 8

sushigal007 · 12-14-2025, 07:38 PM

I don't like or trust the people behind the GenAI push, does that help clarify things? They're trying very very hard to make me use something I don't need, and pretending it's for my own good, which might've worked better if they hadn't suggested using it for the stupidest things imaginable. Every time I go to the cinema, there's an ad trying to tell me I should be asking Gemini what to do for a first date or how to get popcorn out of my teeth or what outfit to wear. If AI is so great, why can't anyone think of a better selling point? I'm not a complete idiot, and being treated like one just makes me even more resistant. I'm already scatterbrained, I don't want to outsource any more of my thinking, and I don't trust anyone who keeps trying to persuade me otherwise. Maybe I'll change my mind one day in the future when someone can show me GenAI doing something actually genuinely useful for me, but until then, no offence, but I, personally, will not be updating Calibre. I don't need AI to recap my books. They have synopsis. I can read them.

Sirtel · 12-14-2025, 08:01 PM

I have to say I've never seen ridiculous suggestions like that. Maybe it depends on where you live.

theducks · Yesterday, 02:19 AM

You are not listening.
Calibre does not make you enable AI ACCESS. Until you do all the extra steps, there is no AI available in Calibre.

Personally, I will never enable it either. I make enough mistakes on my own. I do not need an Artificial Stupid to help me mess up.

rjwse@aol.com · Yesterday, 07:43 AM

Lots of heated opinions. There is not a big push in tags yet, but you can very successfully get what you want in CSS with XHTML in an ebook by using either <AI>, <div style="AI">, or my favorite <p class="AI"> Just use one of these on some text and it will render into a great book. Results will vary. I just put it in the stylesheet:
.AI {/* great book class*/; great-book="doitall";}

JSWolf · Yesterday, 10:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sushigal007

Personally, if I left a book long enough that I'd forgotten that much of it, I'd just reread it. I don't trust AI not to mix it up with the movie version, or a fanfic, or to just straight-up hallucinate something else entirely. I don't trust AI with anything creative. And on that note, I was already not updating Calibre because the Generate Cover plugin was having font issues, so I'll continue not doing that, because now they're in the program at all, I also don't trust that AI 'features' will stay switched off in further updates.

You could try AI to summarize and if what it says is what you remember, then you'll be good to go.

JSWolf · Yesterday, 10:02 AM

calibre's AI is going to wake up, download what it wants and push it to your Reader and make you read what it wants.

Sirtel · Yesterday, 10:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

calibre's AI is going to wake up, download what it wants and push it to your Reader and make you read what it wants.

It's going to take over your mind and change you to a zombie.

Sirtel · Yesterday, 10:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rjwse@aol.com

Lots of heated opinions. There is not a big push in tags yet, but you can very successfully get what you want in CSS with XHTML in an ebook by using either <AI>, <div style="AI">, or my favorite <p class="AI"> Just use one of these on some text and it will render into a great book. Results will vary. I just put it in the stylesheet:
.AI {/* great book class*/; great-book="doitall";}

Stormy_5309 · Yesterday, 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by farmo

"Calibre adding "AI conversations" with books fundamentally alters the relationship that users, presumably readers!, have with the works in their libraries. ... Here, Calibre, in one release, went from a tool readers can use to, well, read, to a tool that fundamentally views books as textureless content, no more than the information contained within them. Anything about presentation, form, perspective, voice, is irrelevant to that view. Books are no longer art, they're ingots of tin to be melted down. ... But the question remains: what relationship should a library management tool have with the author and the reader? How should or shouldn't it facilitate the creation of and participation in art?" (xgranade at mastodon - see their full thread here.

I see that as valid objections to the newly introduced features - in addition to natural and developer resources waste, as pointed out by others. I'm using and loving Calibre since 2013, and have for now updated to the latest "pre-AI" version 8.15

I know the AI function is tucked away. I know I only found out it was even there because it ate one of my keyboard shortcuts.

Yes, I'm an oldtimer. Yes, I've been using calibre to deal with my ebook library since I was reading RTF files on my old beat up HP Jornada from a CF card that was measured in inches of size and megs of data.

I still don't want AI having access to my library, even (especially) after seeing reports that fan based sites and small publishers have had their works scraped for training AI, against the wishes of the site owners and the authors.

I know my anger is a drop in the ocean. That doesn't change the fact that my anger exists.

DiapDealer · Yesterday, 01:19 PM

It also does not change the fact that AI cannot possibly gain access to your calibre library unless you specifically enable the AI features by configuring a connection to an online llvm. If you have no intention of doing this (or knowledge how to), then your anger is completely misplaced. But clearly the angry folks are refusing to acknowledge the technical limitations that their fears are bound by here. Stop giving in to unfounded FUD.

Deskisamess · Yesterday, 02:14 PM

“I saw it with my own eyes, and heard it with my own ears, and part of it fell on my head.” --Chicken Little

This has been an enjoyable thread, I must say.

Sirtel · Yesterday, 04:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stormy_5309

I still don't want AI having access to my library...

It seems all those longtime users of calibre actually can't read or understand what they read.

For the nth time, there's no way an AI can access your library unless you yourself configure it to have this access. AI is not intelligent or self-aware, despite what some folks apparently think. It cannot take over your library or your computer without your knowledge or permission.

JSWolf · Yesterday, 07:16 PM

To sum up this thread...

OH MY GOD! CALBRE'S AI ATE MY LIBRARY!

DNSB · Yesterday, 09:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

To sum up this thread...

OH MY GOD! CALBRE'S AI ATE MY LIBRARY!

Minor nit.

OH MY GOD! CALBRE'S AI IS GOING TO EAT MY LIBRARY EVEN IF I NEVER ENABLE AI!

theducks · Yesterday, 11:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DNSB

Minor nit.

OH MY GOD! CALBRE'S AI IS GOING TO EAT MY LIBRARY EVEN IF I NEVER ENABLE AI!

C H O M P

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12-14-2025, 07:38 PM	#106
sushigal007 Junior Member Posts: 9 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2011 Device: Amazon Fire	I don't like or trust the people behind the GenAI push, does that help clarify things? They're trying very very hard to make me use something I don't need, and pretending it's for my own good, which might've worked better if they hadn't suggested using it for the stupidest things imaginable. Every time I go to the cinema, there's an ad trying to tell me I should be asking Gemini what to do for a first date or how to get popcorn out of my teeth or what outfit to wear. If AI is so great, why can't anyone think of a better selling point? I'm not a complete idiot, and being treated like one just makes me even more resistant. I'm already scatterbrained, I don't want to outsource any more of my thinking, and I don't trust anyone who keeps trying to persuade me otherwise. Maybe I'll change my mind one day in the future when someone can show me GenAI doing something actually genuinely useful for me, but until then, no offence, but I, personally, will not be updating Calibre. I don't need AI to recap my books. They have synopsis. I can read them.

12-14-2025, 08:01 PM	#107
Sirtel Grand Sorcerer Posts: 14,204 Karma: 244400747 Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Estonia Device: Kobo Sage & Libra 2	I have to say I've never seen ridiculous suggestions like that. Maybe it depends on where you live.

Yesterday, 02:19 AM	#108
theducks Well trained by Cats Posts: 31,361 Karma: 62500000 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: The Central Coast of California Device: Kobo Libra2,Kobo Aura2v1, K4NT(Fixed: New Bat.), Galaxy Tab A	You are not listening. Calibre does not make you enable AI ACCESS. Until you do all the extra steps, there is no AI available in Calibre. Personally, I will never enable it either. I make enough mistakes on my own. I do not need an Artificial Stupid to help me mess up.

Yesterday, 07:43 AM	#109
rjwse@aol.com Addict Posts: 338 Karma: 2581190 Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: LaVernia, Texas Device: kindle epub readers on android	Lots of heated opinions. There is not a big push in tags yet, but you can very successfully get what you want in CSS with XHTML in an ebook by using either <AI>, <div style="AI">, or my favorite <p class="AI"> Just use one of these on some text and it will render into a great book. Results will vary. I just put it in the stylesheet: .AI {/* great book class*/; great-book="doitall";}

Yesterday, 10:02 AM	#111
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 81,213 Karma: 150263711 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	calibre's AI is going to wake up, download what it wants and push it to your Reader and make you read what it wants.

Yesterday, 01:19 PM	#115
DiapDealer Grand Sorcerer Posts: 28,970 Karma: 208569852 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD	It also does not change the fact that AI cannot possibly gain access to your calibre library unless you specifically enable the AI features by configuring a connection to an online llvm. If you have no intention of doing this (or knowledge how to), then your anger is completely misplaced. But clearly the angry folks are refusing to acknowledge the technical limitations that their fears are bound by here. Stop giving in to unfounded FUD.

Yesterday, 02:14 PM	#116
Deskisamess Wizard Posts: 2,778 Karma: 45843871 Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Ohio Device: iPhone 13 Pro, iPad mini, iPad Pro 12.9",Paperwhite 6.8", Scribe 2022	“I saw it with my own eyes, and heard it with my own ears, and part of it fell on my head.” --Chicken Little This has been an enjoyable thread, I must say.

Yesterday, 07:16 PM	#118
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 81,213 Karma: 150263711 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	To sum up this thread... OH MY GOD! CALBRE'S AI ATE MY LIBRARY!

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