Why You Should Consider Disabling Google's AI Answers

Why Opt Out of Google's AI Answers?

"Let Google do the searching for you." That is the new tagline from Google’s I/O conference this week, where the company announced it will be injecting AI-generated answers at the top of Google Search across the United States. The moment has come, and Google is doubling down on AI. But what if you don’t want Google’s AI answers?

The Challenge of Opting Out

Unfortunately, Google isn’t making it easy to opt out of the AI revolution, and not everyone is thrilled about it. These AI overviews have proven to hallucinate about as much as any other AI chatbot—which is a lot. One viral example showed Google Gemini recommending you drink two quarts of urine every 24 hours to pass a kidney stone (don’t do that). Sadly, if you don’t want gems like this, there’s no easy button to just return to classic Google Search.

Workarounds to Purge the AI from Your Google Searches

As Google notes on its help page: "AI Overviews are part of Google Search like other features, such as knowledge panels, and can’t be turned off." If you prefer the traditional Google Search experience, here are some workarounds:

Chrome Extension for Blocking AI Overview

Someone has already created a Chrome extension to block Google AI overviews. You can download it here. While Google may try to counter such extensions, this is currently a viable solution.

Setting Google(Web) as Default Search Engine

Google’s AI revolution introduces a new tab called “Web” for traditional search results. You can set this as your default search engine in Chrome’s address bar by following these steps:

1. Head to Google Chrome’s search engine page by pasting this address into your browser: chrome://settings/searchEngines
2. Click on Settings -> Search Engine -> Manage search engines
3. Click the Add button next to “Site search” and fill in the fields as follows:
   • Name: Google(Web)
   • Shortcut: www.google.com
   • URL: {google:baseURL}/search?udm=14&q=%s

Once added, select “Make default” from the three-dot menu next to the Google(Web) entry. This will ensure that any queries entered into the address bar lead you directly to the Web tab on Google.

The Impact of Google's AI Revolution

While these workarounds exist, it’s disappointing that Google isn’t providing a simpler way for users to avoid AI-generated answers. The tech giant clearly views AI as crucial for its future, especially with products like ChatGPT posing threats to its Search business. However, inundating users with potentially unreliable information may compromise the integrity of Google's search tool.

Conclusion

As Google pushes forward with its AI initiatives, users may find themselves navigating through new challenges when seeking information online. While innovations in AI can enhance user experiences, the balance between automation and accuracy remains a critical consideration for tech companies like Google.