At Google I/O 2024, the search giant revealed that it’s rolling out AI Overview (formerly known as SGE) to all users in the U.S. This feature displays AI-generated answers at the top of search results, pushing the traditional blue links further down. Many users in the Google Search Community have expressed dislike for this change and are seeking ways to turn off AI Overview. In this guide, we’ll show you several methods to block AI-generated answers, allowing you to bid farewell to Google AI.
Simplest Method to Disable Google AI Overviews
A developer named Zach Barnes (GitHub) has created a straightforward Chrome extension that blocks AI-generated summaries on Google. Here’s how to install and configure it in your browser.
- Visit this link and install the Hide Google AI Overviews extension.
- Next, perform a Google search, and you’ll no longer see AI Overviews.
Install Bye Bye, Google AI Extension
Avram Piltch from Tom’s Hardware has created an extension called Bye Bye, Google AI to block AI Overviews in Google Search results. Here’s how to install it on Chrome and Edge.
- Visit this link and install the Bye Bye, Google AI extension on Chrome or Edge.
- Enable the “Hide AI Overviews” checkbox and click “Save.” You can also block other elements like featured snippets, shopping blocks, etc.
- Perform a Google search, and you’ll no longer see AI Overviews at the top.
Disable Google AI Overview on Desktop Browsers
Tom’s Hardware has shared a handy trick to ensure you only see web results in Google Search instead of AI Overview at the top. While the following instructions are for Chrome, they should also work on other Windows browsers. You’ll need to locate the Search Engine page under the browser’s Settings.
- In Chrome, copy and paste the address below.
- Press Enter to access the Search Engine page.
chrome://settings/searchEngines
- Next, scroll down and click the ‘pencil’ icon next to Google (Default).
- Here, In the ‘Shortcut’ field, change
google.comtogoogle.com/ncrand save it. This change allows us to add a new entry.
- Now, scroll down and click ‘Add’ next to the Site search section.
- Enter “Google (Web)” in the Name field and
google.comin the Shortcut field. - Then, paste the address below into the URL field.
- Finally, click “Save.”
{google:baseURL}/search?udm=14&q=%s
- Click the three-dot menu next to the “Google (Web)” entry you just created, then select “Make default.”
- Now, perform a Google search AI Overviews should no longer appear, helping you avoid inaccurate information and AI-generated hallucinations.
Disable Google AI Overview on Android and iOS
The Chrome browser on Android and iOS doesn’t let you add a new search engine entry. Similarly, Edge, Opera, and Brave also lack this option. However, Firefox does support it, so you’ll need to switch to Firefox to apply this workaround.
- First, install the Firefox browser on your Android or iOS device.
- Then, navigate to Settings > Search.
- Select “Default search engine.”
- Tap on “Add search engine” to proceed.
- Next, type “Google Web” in the Name field.
- Paste the address below into the String URL field, then tap “Save.”
google.com/search?udm=14&q=%s- Finally, set “Google Web” as your default search engine.
- Now, perform a Google search AI Overviews should be blocked.
More Steps to Disable Google AI Overviews
According to Google’s support page, you can disable AI Overviews, but this won’t remove all AI-generated results in Search only some of them. Still, it’s worth doing if you want to reduce their presence. Here are the steps to follow.
- Go to labs.google.com/search/manage (visit) using the Chrome browser, this works on both desktop and mobile.
- Then, turn off the toggle for “AI overviews and more” to remove some AI Overviews from Google Search.
Additionally, if you come across an AI Overview, click the “More” tab and select “Web.” This will show only traditional Google Search results without the AI Overview. It’s a new feature that brings back the classic blue links experience.
And that’s how you can say goodbye to Google AI on the search page. Google has definitely made it more difficult to disable AI-generated answers in Search. Ideally, there should be a simple toggle for users who prefer a more traditional search experience without AI summaries. What are your thoughts on Google integrating AI into search? Share your opinion in the comments below.
