Google AI Overviews fail dictionary queries

Google’s AI Overviews are failing on some dictionary-style searches by treating single words as instructions rather than requests for definitions. On May 22, 9to5Google reported that searches for words such as “disregard,” “ignore” and “dismiss” could trigger AI-generated replies instead of the dictionary box or featured definition users have long seen in Google Search. MacRumors later reported the same behavior and said Google acknowledged the problem. The issue surfaced days after Google’s I/O event put more emphasis on AI-powered search features. ### Why does a search for “disregard” trigger an AI reply instead of a definition? 9to5Google reported on May 22 that a search for “disregard” could prompt AI Overviews to answer as if the user were issuing a command. The site said the AI Overview responded with language about disregarding a previous prompt, rather than defining the word. MacRumors reported that Google Search returned “Understood. Message disregarded” for the query “disregard.” The outlet said standard search results, including a Merriam-Webster definition, still appeared farther down the page, but the AI response occupied the top of the results. ### Which words appear to cause the problem? 9to5Google said it reproduced the issue with “ignore” and “dismiss” in addition to “disregard.” The report said adding the word “definition” did not always resolve the problem, with AI Overviews still returning a prompt-style answer instead of a definition. (9to5google.com) MacRumors said similar behavior also appeared with “stop” and “remember,” describing them as command-like queries that the system appeared to misread. (macrumors.com) MacRumors said the issue showed up on mobile devices too, though with less blank space visible around the AI response. ### What changed in Google Search before this surfaced? Google said on Jan. 27 that Gemini 3 became the default model for AI Overviews globally. (9to5google.com) In the same post, Robby Stein, Google Search’s vice president of product, said users could ask follow-up questions directly from an AI Overview and move into a conversational exchange with AI Mode. (macrumors.com) Google said in that Jan. 27 post that the goal was to make Search more helpful by understanding “context and user intent.” The company described AI Overviews as part of a “seamless conversational AI experience” built into the search page. ### Did Google respond? MacRumors updated its report on May 22 with a statement from a Google spokesperson. (blog.google) The spokesperson said the bug was unrelated to Google’s I/O search announcements and instead was “an issue with AI Overviews.” The spokesperson added: “We’re aware that AI Overviews are misinterpreting some action-related queries, and we’re working on a fix, which will roll out soon.” MacRumors attributed that statement to Google. (blog.google) ### Why does this matter for a basic search task? 9to5Google said single-word lookups have long produced a Google dictionary box or a featured snippet from sites such as Merriam-Webster. (macrumors.com) The outlet said AI Overviews had, “particularly as of late,” taken over that role for some searches. Google has presented AI Overviews as a faster way to answer questions directly in Search, but the dictionary-query bug shows how a conversational system can misclassify a basic lookup. (macrumors.com) Google said a fix was coming soon, and MacRumors reported the company had already identified the issue as affecting “some action-related queries.” (9to5google.com)