Approximately 200 books deemed inappropriate by AI have been removed from school libraries, including 'Nineteen Eighty-Four,' 'Chainsaw Man,' 'Demon Slayer,' 'Jujutsu Kaisen,' and 'One-Punch Man.'
In a British secondary school library, books deemed 'inappropriate' by AI were removed. Among the books deemed inappropriate by the AI were George Orwell's '
School book banning escalates in the UK as Greater Manchester secondary school censors scores of books - Index on Censorship
https://www.indexoncensorship.org/2026/03/school-book-banning-escalates-in-the-uk-as-greater-manchester-secondary-school-censors-scores-of-books/
Librarian 'gobsmacked' after school uses AI to remove 200 books from shelves including Orwell's 1984 and Twilight | LBC
https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/librarian-gobsmacked-school-ai-remove-books-5HjdWsc_2/
One day in 2025, Emily (a pseudonym), a librarian at a secondary school in Greater Manchester , England, added Laura Bates' nonfiction book ' Men Who Hate Women' to her list of recommended books. 'Men Who Hate Women' deals with incels , online groups characterized by problems with dating and sexual relationships with women and misogynistic behavior.
The middle school principal then requested that 'Men Who Hate Women' be removed from the library, citing the risk of exposing students to misogynistic ideas. Disappointed, Emily complied with the decision and moved the book to the staff library, which was off-limits to students.
However, the school conducted a further investigation into Emily, and she was scheduled to meet with the Human Resources Department and Designated Safeguarding Leads. Emily reportedly argued that while some books may contain unethical or immoral content, it is important for students to be exposed to such works.
The next day, when Emily arrived at work, she noticed that several comics and graphic novels were missing from the library. The school then decided to close the library as a 'temporary safety measure.' Emily criticizes this closure, saying it has taken away a safe haven for LGBTQ+ and neurodevelopmental children who visited the library every day.
The school instructed Emily to check the library's collection and remove any 'inappropriate books.' The removal criteria were three-fold: 'books not written for children,' 'books on themes that may offend children,' and 'other books that are inappropriate or pose a child protection risk,' but the definitions were not specific.
Emily initially followed the decision and selected the books to be removed, but the head of safety and protection pointed out that she had 'brought inappropriate books into the school library' and reported her to the local authorities as a child protection risk. Shocked by this turn of events, Emily took sick leave due to stress and contacted organizations such as the School Library Association (SLA), the Association of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP), and the School Libraries Group (SLG) for support. Caroline Roche, president of the SLG, told
The school subsequently shared a list of books deemed 'inappropriate' with Emily. The spreadsheet contained approximately 200 books, and it was revealed that AI had been used to classify them. In response to an inquiry from Index on Censorship, the school acknowledged that the list was generated by AI but claimed that it believed the classification was largely accurate.
Books deemed inappropriate by the AI included George Orwell's 'Nineteen Eighty-Four,' which depicts a heavily monitored dystopia; Michelle Obama's autobiography 'Becoming a Teen'; Stephanie Meyer's teen novel '
The list also included many Japanese manga titles such as 'Chainsaw Man,' 'Demon Slayer,' 'Jujutsu Kaisen,' 'One-Punch Man,' ' Black Butler ,' ' Death Note ,' ' Fairy Tail, ' and ' Tokyo Ghoul .'
Louis Coiffe-Guin of CILIP told Index on Censorship that he is concerned that 'some school leaders are using AI, rather than trained professionals, to classify books.' He also pointed out that all children have the right to access age-appropriate information under the Convention on the Rights of the Child , and that this case sets a worrying precedent.
Ultimately, Emily was forced to resign from the middle school, and her career as a school librarian was cut short due to an investigation based on complaints regarding child protection.
Index on Censorship points out that mass removals of books from schools are common in the United States, where conservative right-wing lobbying groups exert organized pressure. 'This is an unprecedented attack on freedom of reading and thought, and an example of how an important measure intended to protect has been misused to threaten and target school librarians,' it said. 'If this fact is not brought to light and rectified, similar incidents could occur again.'
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