Google continues to push AI services into its core products. Just a few months ago, it started to roll out AI Overviews in earnest. Back in July, Google claimed that the feature reached over two billion monthly users already.
Now it is introducing the next step, AI Mode, in Google Search, and also turning its Chrome web browser into an AI-first browser.
Not every user likes the infusion of AI on Google Search. While AI can be useful, it can also get in the way or, worse, provide information that is not accurate. It happened in the past and it is happening regularly.
Hide Google Search AI content
Bye Bye, Google AI is a browser extension that gives you control over the features. Google does not provide options to turn off AI content on Google Search, which this extension rectifies.
The extension displays the options right after installation in a compatible browser. It is available for Chromium-based, which covers most desktop browsers. Installation in Chrome worked flawlessly, but it should work in other browsers, including Brave, Edge, or Vivaldi as well.
AI Overviews is selected by default only. This displays information created by AI when you run certain searches on Google Search. You can hide other types of content on Google Search using the extension, namely:
AI Mode tab for deeper AI interactions.
Discussions and Forums.
Sponsored links.
Shopping blocks.
People also ask.
People also search for.
Video blocks.
Feature snippets.
Only AI Mode is AI related, while the remaining features are blocks of content that Google Search often displays. It is a good option to get rid of content blocks that you have no use for. If you never shop online, you could for instance remove the shopping blocks.
If you prefer only organic results, you could remove sponsored links and feature snippets.
Activate the save button to save your selection. The extension works automatically from that moment on. When you visit Google Search, it will hide the blocks, AI and all others selected, automatically.
Note that it uses CSS to hide them. It does not really toggle them off, as no option to do so is provided by Google at the time.
Extensions like Bye Bye, Google AI have a tendency to break regularly. When Google makes changes to its Search page, it may break the extension functionality as a consequence. This usually requires the developer to publish an update to address the changes.
Closing Words
Integrating AI overviews and other AI content in search is controversial. Google says it improves searches for users and while that may be true to an extend, there is also a darker side to this.
The elephants in the room are false information and doing its best to keep users on Google Search and other Google properties while displaying information created by third-party publishers.
Now You: how do you handle AI information in search engines? Do you use them, like them even? Or do you prefer to ignore or hide them?
Summary
Bye Bye, Google AI removes AI from Google Search
Description
Review of a browser extension that can hide AI content and other content that may be unwanted from Google Search.
Author
Martin Brinkmann
Ghacks Technology News
Logo
Advertisement