Google has launched AI Overview in the US for all users, and there is no easy way to disable it. Here are four handy tricks to block AI Overviews from appearing on Google Search. You can install the ‘Hide Google AI Overviews’ extension to block AI Overview on Google.
At Google I/O 2024, the company announced that AI Overview (formerly SGE) is rolling out to all U.S. users. This feature displays AI-generated answers at the top of search results, pushing down the traditional links. Many users in the Google Search Community dislike this change and want to turn off AI Overview. This guide offers several methods to block AI-generated answers from appearing at the top of Google Search.
Simple Steps to Turn Off AI Overviews on Google
Developer Zach Barnes (GitHub) created a Chrome extension that blocks AI-generated summaries on Google. Here’s how to install and set it up in your browser:
- Go to this link and install the Hide Google AI Overviews extension.
- Perform a Google search. You won’t see AI Overviews anymore.
Disable Google AI Overview on Desktop Browsers
Tom’s Hardware has offered a handy tip to ensure you exclusively view web results in Google Search rather than AI Overview at the forefront. Although these steps are tailored for Chrome, they should be applicable to other Windows browsers too. Navigate to the Search Engine section within your browser’s Settings page.
- For Chrome, simply copy and paste the following address
- Then press Enter to access the Search Engine page.
chrome://settings/searchEngines
- Afterwards, scroll down and select the ‘pencil’ icon adjacent to Google (Default).
- Here, in the ‘Shortcut’ field, replace
google.com
withgoogle.com/ncr
and save the changes. This alteration allows us to incorporate a new entry.
- Now, scroll down and click ‘Add‘ next to Site search.
- Here, input “Google (Web)” in the Name field and
google.com
in the Shortcut field. - Then, paste the following address in the URL field.
- Finally, click on “Save”.
{google:baseURL}/search?udm=14&q=%s
- Select the 3-dot menu adjacent to the “Google (Web)” entry you just created, then click on “Make default”.
- Now, conduct a Google Search, and AI Overviews should no longer appear, preventing you from receiving inaccurate information or experiencing hallucinations induced by Google’s AI.
Turn Off Google AI Overview on Android and iOS
The Chrome browser on Android and iOS does not allow you to add a new search engine. Edge, Opera, and Brave also lack this feature. However, Firefox does support this, so you will need to switch browsers.
- Install the Firefox browser on your Android or iOS device.
- Open Firefox and go to Settings -> Search.
- Select “Default search engine.”
- Tap on “Add search engine.”
- Enter “Google Web” in the Name field.
- Paste the following address in the String URL field and tap on “Save”:
google.com/search?udm=14&q=%s
- Finally, select “Google Web” as the default search engine.
Now, when you perform a search on Google, the AI Overview should be blocked.
Additional Steps to Disable Google AI Overviews
Google’s support page indicates that while you can disable AI Overviews, this action won’t eliminate all AI-generated results in Search. However, it will reduce the number of AI-generated results displayed. Follow these steps:
- Open Chrome:
- On your desktop or smartphone, open the Chrome browser.
- Visit the Management Page:
- Disable AI Overviews:
- Toggle off the switch for “AI overviews and more.”
This will remove some AI Overviews from Google Search, reducing the presence of AI-generated results.
If you see AI Overviews, click on the “More” tab and select “Web.” This will show only Google Search results without the AI Overview. This new feature lets us experience the classic blue links again.
This is how you can disable AI Overviews on Google. Google has made it more challenging to exclude AI-generated answers from search results. I believe Google should provide a simple toggle for users to easily turn off AI-generated answers. What are your thoughts on Google’s choice to integrate AI into search? Share in the comments below.