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Turning off the AI feature on my search engines

mrs.snooks

Hi. Could I get some IT advice.

Is it possible to turn off the AI feature of my search engines? My son has taught me to type -AI on the search. But I wondered if there was a settings feature to make it a default to have no AI.

My default search engine is Google Crome.

Can't stop the Data Centres, but 'Every Little Helps' xx

Thanks in advance,

Mrs Snooks

Parents

  • Google is the search engine, while Chrome is a browser. I use Vivaldi as a browser, which offers various search engines: Bing, Google, DuckDuckGo (known as DDG), Ecosia and Startpage. DDG is known for privacy while Ecosia offers enviornbmental support. DDG, Ecosia and Firstpage don't have an AI overview.

    To switch off Google's irritating AI overview on its search engine, log out of Google. That's it as far as getting shot of the overview.

    If you have to keep signed into Google (because you use their email service), use a different search engine.

    I switch AI and its predecessors off everything and have for decades, starting with Microsoft's paperclip, Cortana and whatever else MS wishes to bring in. The same with 'free' cloud services and, since January 2025, Gmail. But then, I'm one of those paranoid computer nerds. Grinning

  • in reply to Alexa
    Alexa said:
    To switch off Google's irritating AI overview on its search engine, log out of Google. That's it as far as getting shot of the overview.

    To get AI overviews did previously require someone to be signed in, but that’s no longer the case (it changed last year).

    For example, without being signed in to Google, whether I use the Chrome app or the Safari browser on my Mac, it doesn’t stop Google from including AI overviews.

    But if using the Chrome app, the process that I detailed in my previous reply does effectively remove them for Google searches.

Reply
  • in reply to Alexa
    Alexa said:
    To switch off Google's irritating AI overview on its search engine, log out of Google. That's it as far as getting shot of the overview.

    To get AI overviews did previously require someone to be signed in, but that’s no longer the case (it changed last year).

    For example, without being signed in to Google, whether I use the Chrome app or the Safari browser on my Mac, it doesn’t stop Google from including AI overviews.

    But if using the Chrome app, the process that I detailed in my previous reply does effectively remove them for Google searches.

Children
  • in reply to Bunny

    That's good. I think my experience with people looking for IT answers is warped by overexposure to those who would read your original response and throw up their hands in despair because the slightest whiff of a techie solution is too much for them. It's always good to have different options at different levels. 

    I tend to find Google search engine is better for shopping and use it occasionally for that. 

  • in reply to Alexa

    Yes, I didn't want to get into their pros and cons when there's a practical workaround that enables Google (the most popular search engine, and a very comprehensive one) to be still used.

    A different one can be chosen instead, if preferred, via the same settings menu in my earlier reply.

  • in reply to Bunny

    Thanks for this. 

    However, one can simply load up a different search engine in Chrome and use that as the default search engine, so one isn't confined to using Google search even in the Chrome browser.