Venturing online in 2026 entails exposing oneself to a relentless barrage of generative AI functionalities. How about a few AI agents to commence your experience? Do you wish to utilize this chatbot sidebar? Would you prefer every search inquiry to be resolved with an AI synopsis? While there’s no deactivation switch to entirely circumvent this assortment of AI utilities, there exists a particular keyboard maneuver you can employ to elude Google’s AI Overviews for a brief reprieve.
Should you prefer not to encounter an AI-generated distillation of webpage references when utilizing Google Search, you may input “–ai” at the conclusion of your query. This choice was highlighted by WIRED readers within a recent piece discussing deceptive practices found in Google’s AI Overviews. I’ve thoroughly relished deploying this clever addition over the past week, and I genuinely hope Google would furnish a permanent setting with comparable disabling capabilities.
“Individuals perceive Search as more beneficial with AI Overviews, and consequently, they are engaging with search more frequently,” a Google representative informed WIRED. “We provide a ‘web’ filter to display links exclusively, yet users scarcely employ it for a minuscule proportion of searches.” The spokesperson likened AI Overviews to other integrated functionalities within search outcomes, such as knowledge panels, which cannot be eradicated.
If you’re inclined to experiment with this, you can append any sequence of letters or numerals joined by an en dash, such as “–1” or “–z,” to the end of your Google search, and it operates identically, as noted by PCMag. This wholly prevents AI Overviews from materializing. Google’s en dash feature is designed to expunge any subject you link to it from the search findings. The exclusion of AI Overviews appears to be an unintended consequence, and its longevity remains uncertain. Subsequent to entering a result, you can also tap on the “Web” tab—occasionally concealed under “More”—situated directly beneath the search bar to view site connections.
Based on my trials, the –ai stratagem seems to be confined to search inquiries made in desktop browsers. When I attempted it within the Safari and Chrome applications on iOS, Google’s AI-produced “web guide” nonetheless appeared prominently in the outcomes. Nevertheless, Google does present a Classic Search button on the right side of these findings. Upon pressing that button, the results will refresh and present a blend of website links and concise video clips. The sole exception seems to be on Android—at least on a Google Pixel device we examined, where employing “–ai” successfully removed AI Overviews.
It’s a welcome departure from the prevailing standard when I’m using my portable computer, and I’ll likely persist in keying “–ai” at the close of every search until it becomes ingrained, much like I invariably append “Reddit” to my requests. Despite this, I harbor a fondness for the spartan Google of my formative years and the sheer straightforwardness of those top 10 azure links.
Should you be contemplating migrating search engines to a service devoid of any generative AI, DuckDuckGo and Brave present two robust alternatives worthy of contemplation. Both search engines empower users to activate and deactivate AI summaries within their configurations. You are not required to alter browsers to employ an alternative search engine, as Google permits you to swap the default search engine in Chrome’s settings menu.
When Google unveiled AI Overviews in 2024, it represented a pivotal juncture for the search engine. However, AI Overviews was extensively ridiculed on social platforms for inaccurate responses, such as a notorious outcome that suggested baking pizza with adhesive. This did not deter Google, however, as the corporation has persistently gravitated further towards AI functionalities since the initial introduction of AI Overviews and has continued to refine the user interaction.
While Google asserts the precision of these findings has ameliorated over time, generative AI tools occasionally still inject errors when condensing information. Hence, it is invariably advisable to click through and verify anything you encounter in an AI Overview. All the more impetus, I believe, to completely bypass the intermediary and navigate directly to those aforementioned websites.
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