How to Hide Google’s AI Overviews From Your Search Results | WIRED
Summary
This article discusses how to bypass Google's AI-generated summaries in search results by using a simple query trick, offering alternatives for users who prefer traditional search results.
Why It Matters
As AI tools increasingly dominate online search experiences, understanding how to navigate and customize these features is crucial for users seeking accurate information. This article provides practical solutions for those who prefer a more traditional search experience, highlighting user agency in an evolving digital landscape.
Key Takeaways
- Users can avoid AI-generated summaries by appending '-ai' to their search queries.
- The effectiveness of this trick varies across devices and browsers.
- Alternatives like DuckDuckGo and Brave allow toggling AI summaries on and off.
- AI Overviews, launched in 2024, have faced criticism for inaccuracies.
- Users are encouraged to verify information from AI summaries by visiting original sources.
Save StorySave this storySave StorySave this storyGoing online in 2026 means subjecting yourself to a relentless bombardment of generative AI tools. How about a few AI agents to get you started? Do you want to use this chatbot sidebar? Would you like every search query to be answered with an AI summary? While there’s no off switch to avoid this smorgasbord of AI tools entirely, there is one keyboard trick you can use to dodge Google’s AI Overviews for a brief respite.If you don’t want to see an AI-generated summarization of webpage links when you use Google Search, you can type “–ai” at the end of your query. It’s an option WIRED readers highlighted under a recent article about scams found in Google’s AI Overviews. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed using this nifty addendum over the past week, and I wish Google offered a permanent toggle with similar zapping capabilities.“People find Search more helpful with AI Overviews, and they're coming back to search more as a result,” a Google spokesperson tells WIRED. “We offer a ‘web’ filter to see links only, but people only use it for a tiny fraction of searches.” The spokesperson compared AI Overviews to other features baked into the search results, like knowledge panels, that can’t be removed.If you want to try this out, you can put any combination of letters or numbers attached to an en dash, like “–1” or “–z,” at the end of your Google search, and it works just the same, as reported by PCMag. It prevents AI Overviews from appearing com...
