What was once science fiction is now practically permeating every area of our lives. Artificial intelligence tools — like ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok and Meta AI — have been exploding in popularity over the last year. And while generative AI has its benefits, like that it can create original content in response to user queries, it can be hard to opt out of.
Take, for example, when you Google a question and get a hodgepodge of answers from Google’s AI Overview.
AI Overviews launched in May 2024. Google’s AI, Gemini, analyzes information from a variety of online resources and gives users a quick overview in response to their queries at the top of the results page. The company now offers AI Overviews in more than 100 countries.
Sounds great in theory, right?
AI Overviews sometimes culls information from sources that may not be verified or accurate, such as Reddit threads, and pushes reliable sources further down, resulting in a summary that can be wrong or even harmful.
“These AI-generated summaries are often unreliable and can feature outright incorrect or misleading information,” Andrey Meshkov, co-founder and chief technology officer of AdGuard, a company specializing in privacy and ad-blocking solutions, told HuffPost.
“For example, when searching for medical advice, the AI might generate even potentially dangerous results, like the infamous case of an AI Overview suggesting drinking urine to treat kidney stones,” he continued.
This is undoubtedly frustrating for users “who want to quickly access expert opinions and reputable sources without having to scroll past incomplete and often flawed AI summaries,” Meshkov said.
Yvette Schmitter, CEO and managing partner at the technology company Fusion Collective, also noted that AI Overview “isn’t always accurate.”
“If I’m searching for information, I don’t need potentially erroneous information presented to me first,” she told HuffPost.
“What happens if the AI summary ― which may or may not be responsive to sponsored search results ― doesn’t match the information that I’m seeing in the search results?” Schmitter asked. “Why is it different? What is right and what is wrong? Because these tools are entirely opaque, we have no way of knowing, which means the AI ‘feature’ adds no value.”
These answers are due in part to the fact that generative AI is “experimental and a work in progress,” according to Google. Sometimes, the AI Overview will invent an answer, called a hallucination, and sometimes it may misinterpret language (for example, telling you about baseball bats when you want to know about bats that live in caves).
The company encourages users to “think critically about the responses you get from generative AI tools” and report things that aren’t right to improve the experience for everyone.
There’s also the question of protecting your own data. Google’s AI uses user interactions, including what you search for and what feedback you give, to “develop and improve generative AI experiences.”
And Google’s Privacy Policy explains that the company collects different types of information from all users who utilize any of the company’s services, not just AI.
Still, some experts suggest extra caution. “None of us can afford to simply believe that companies — whose sole purpose is maximizing profits — will do the right thing for and by us,” Schmitter said, adding that there are “no rules governing the responsible, ethical use of AI” right now.
“We’re in the digital Wild West, with no sheriff, guidelines, rules, or regulations in sight,” she continued. “We’re all in for quite a ride over the next few years, so it’s crucial to put in the work now. Be proactive about controlling your data, who can use it, and who has access to it.”
Oscar Wong via Getty Images
Can I Turn Off Google AI Overview?
AI is now a key part of Google Search like other features and can’t be turned off, according to a Google spokesperson. Users won’t be able to opt out of it entirely, the same way they can’t turn off each individual feature of the search engine.
“Bottom line — there is no way to disable the feature through Google settings,” Meshkov said.
Our experts are against the automatic inclusion of AI Overviews, which are “pushed onto people without their consent,” Meshkov said. He added, “If users could easily decide whether or not they want these AI features, it wouldn’t be as big of an issue.”
Schmitter agreed that AI should be a service that people opt-in to use. Instead, it’s “always at the top, in your face, [and] you are forced to wade through it.”
“What we don’t need is AI inserted needlessly (and automatically) into aspects of our digital lives that we already understand,” she said.
A representative from Google told HuffPost that many people actually prefer having AI Overviews in their Google Searches.
“Our extensive testing shows that people find their results much more helpful with AI Overviews — so helpful that they come back and search on Google more often,” the Google spokesperson said.
But if you don’t like it, don’t despair yet — there are options. The Google spokesperson directed users who want to avoid AI Overviews to the “Web” tab in Google Search, which just shows web links.
- Perform a Google Search.
- At the top of the Search results, look for the tabs labeled “All,” “News,” and “Images.”
- Find and click on the “Web” tab. (You may need to scroll horizontally to locate it).
- Once you click on the “Web” tab, it will show you the standard search results without the AI Overviews.
There are also browser extensions you can download to help you bypass AI Overviews, but our experts recommend using caution when downloading these and to always check the vendor and reviews first to ensure an extension is not malicious. Schmitter noted that it’s hard to tell “if all of these tools prevent [AI] from running, or if they just prevent [the AI search results] from being displayed.”
Until Google allows users to turn off AI Overviews, these workarounds can help you feel more in control of your searching. You can also simply just scroll past the summary and find the web result you’re looking for.
“With the AI space moving at breakneck speed … it can feel overwhelming, hopeless and inevitable,” Schmitter said. “But it doesn’t have to be. Don’t throw your hands up, don’t give up and throw in the towel. Start taking control today — right now.”