Four Ways to Block Google AI Overviews in Search

Not everyone loves AI like I do, with love being a strong word I guess. Whether it be environmental or ethical reasons, AI isn’t for everyone. In fact, there are times it annoys the hell out of me. One of those times is Google’s AI overviews. The good news is that there are a range of ways to stop Google AI overviews from appearing. Here are my three favourites, with the last one being the most technical.

Add “-ai” to Your Search

I have two similar options for you here, and this is the less fun one. It also feels like one that won’t work forever. What ever you are searching for, simply at -ai to the end of your search, and voilà. AI overviews vanish from your results.

Here you can see how much that little addition changes the results you get. Most importantly, there’s no AI overview either.

But there’s a much more fun way to do this too.

Start Cursing in Your Searches

Yes. Let your anger out. Let it out. All of it. Because if you curse when you’re searching, Google decides to protect its AI’s “little eyes” from your terrible language.

One word is added to the above search, and yet again you can see there’s no more AI overviews. And you might feel ever better about yourself knowing you just let fly with some profanity at your computer.

Add Your Own Search Engine on Mobile

This one is actually quite important for your phone and works on both iPhone and Android. Effectively it involves you making your own custom search engine, but thankfully it’s much easier than it seems. Not as easy as cursing, to be honest, but pretty easy.

First you’ll need any mobile browser that supports custom search engines; like Chrome or Firefox.

1. Assuming Google is your current search engine, open a new tab and search for anything. You can even just search for Goosed.
2. Tap the “three dot” menu button wherever that is on your phone.
3. Now select “Settings” and “Search engine”.
4. “Google Web” should appear in the Recently Visited results.

Once you’ve selected Google Web, AI-overviews is gone. But this might not always work. So I have another wee trick.

I use Firefox as my mobile browser which also lets me hide AI overviews.

1. Open the Firefox app and select the “three dot” menu again.
2. Tap “Settings” and then select “Search”.
3. A new window opens and you should see an option to “Add Search Engine”.
4. Call this something like “No Overviews” add the following as a search string: google.com/search?udm=14&q=%s

Yet again, you’ve beaten Google. Congrats. And, if you’re using option 2 you have the bonus of de-Googling your life a little by adopting Firefox.

Block AI-overviews With uBlock Origin

The most technical solution is to use uBlock Origin. I absolutely adore this extension, which is a permanent installation in my desktop and laptop Firefox browser.

uBlock Origin is an ad-blocker, but you can also add custom rules and filters to block pretty much anything in your browsing experience.

1. Install uBlock Origin extension.
2. Click the icon and the gears for settings on what pops up
3. Ensure the tick beside “Enable my custom filters” is ticked
4. Paste the following two rules into text field.
   • google.com##.GcKpu
   • google.com##.hdzaWe

Now you’ll see there’s no more AI overviews appearing when you search for a query that previously did present them.

Fight the power. Hack the planet.