9to5Google shows modifier to disable AI

9to5Google published a May 23 how-to showing that Google Search users can often avoid AI Overviews by changing the query rather than toggling a setting. The article said adding the word “web” to a search can push Google toward traditional link results instead of the AI-generated summary. Google’s own support materials still say AI Overviews cannot be fully turned off as a standard Search setting. That leaves the workaround as a way to change the result format on a search-by-search basis. ### What exactly did 9to5Google show readers to type? 9to5Google’s Ben Schoon wrote on May 23 that users can append “web” to a normal query to avoid AI Overviews in many cases. The example described in the article is straightforward: instead of searching a phrase alone, users add the extra word at the end and run the search again. The site said the method works because Google interprets that version of the request as a prompt for Web-filtered results. (9to5google.com) Google support community answers have described the same workaround in similar terms. One recommended answer said users can add “web” to a search, such as “weather web” or “recipe web,” and that this “may cause Google to skip the AI Overview.” Another community answer pointed users to the “Web” filter itself for classic text-link results. (9to5google.com) ### Does Google offer an official off switch for AI Overviews? Google’s public help pages say AI Overviews appear when its systems determine that generative AI can be especially helpful. The company’s FAQ also says users who want text-based links without features like AI Overviews may find the Web filter useful. That language stops short of offering a permanent account-level disable switch. (support.google.com) Google support forum responses from Product Experts have been more direct. Multiple recommended answers say there is no official way to completely disable AI Overviews in standard Google Search, though users can select the Web tab after a search to remove the AI summary for that query. Those forum posts are not formal product policy statements, but they align with the absence of a disable control in Google’s help documentation. (support.google.com) ### Why does the extra word change the result page? The mechanism described by 9to5Google appears to rely on Google’s existing Web filter rather than a hidden consumer setting. A Google support community answer said advanced users can create a browser site-search shortcut using a URL parameter that returns Web-filtered results, identifying `udm=14` as the relevant parameter. 9to5Google’s article presented the “web” keyword as a simpler front-end shortcut for ordinary users. (support.google.com) Google’s FAQ also frames the Web filter as the place to focus on text-based links without AI Overviews. That means the workaround does not remove the feature from Search broadly; it changes how a given query is routed or filtered. ### How broad is this workaround on phones and desktops? 9to5Google said its May 23 post included examples and screenshots for both desktop and mobile. (support.google.com) The article presented the modifier as an easy step for users who do not want to tap into the Web tab after every search. Search results can vary by query, device and region, and Google’s support language says AI Overviews are shown when the company’s systems decide they are useful, so the workaround should be understood as a practical method rather than a guaranteed universal block. (support.google.com) Google’s help page says AI Overviews are being made available to more users, languages and regions. For now, the clearest next reference points are the May 23 9to5Google walkthrough and Google’s own Search Help and FAQ pages describing the Web filter and current AI Overviews behavior. (9to5google.com)