How to Turn Off Google’s “AI Overview” Features: A Step-by-Step Guide

Google’s AI-driven features have become increasingly integrated into both Android devices and web platforms, powering voice assistants, smart search results, predictive text, and more. Sometimes these can be helpful, but to a lot of people, they’re invasive and not necessary. If you’re looking to regain control over your experience and reduce Google’s AI presence, this guide will help you disable Google AI features on both Android and web.

What is Google AI?

Google AI is the suite of artificial technologies created by Google to improve the functionality of its products and services. It varies from voice recognition in Google Assistant to personalized ads, predictive text, and smart email features in Gmail, hence making an experience for a user almost futuristic as it predicts and responds based on the use-need behavior of the user.

Overall, Google AI makes interaction with it smoother, faster, and more personalized. Users are still wary of privacy, data collection, and Google’s grip on their digital lives.

Some key areas where Google AI is prominent include:

• Google Assistant: The Voice-activated virtual assistant that assists in completing tasks, searching for information, and retrieving information.
  
• Google Search: The search engine uses AI by predicting the searches one can make, giving the user auto-suggestions, and personalizing search results.
  
• YouTube & Google Discover: AI-based recommendations based on your views and searches.
  
• Google Ads: AI personalizes ads based on user behavior and preferences.

If you’re looking to reduce Google’s AI-driven influence or completely turn off certain AI-powered features, here’s how you can do it on Android and web platforms.

1. Turning Off Google Assistant on Android

Google Assistant is probably one of the most used AI-enabled features of all Android users. It is voice-controlled and can make reminders, give answers to your queries, and regulate applications among others. If you are not a fan of the feature, then follow these steps to disable it:

Steps to Disable Google Assistant:

• Open the Google app on your Android device.
• Tap on your profile icon (top right corner).
• Select Settings > Google Assistant.
• Scroll down to the General section.
• Toggle off the switch next to Google Assistant.

Once you disable it, you can no longer activate Google Assistant with your voice or home button.

2. Disabling Google Discover (AI-Powered News Feed)

Google Discover, AI-powered, gives you a personalized feed of news and information based on your browsing history and more. If this’s not what you want-a personalized feed of news-then here’s how to turn that off:

Steps to Disable Google Discover:

• Open the Google app.
• Tap on your profile icon in the top right.
• Go to Settings > General.
• Toggle off Discover.

This will stop Google from showing personalized content on your home screen.

3. Turning Off AI-Powered Auto-Suggestions in Google Search

Google Search on both Android and the web gives AI-based suggestions as you type. It will predict what you are looking for based on prior searches, past queries, and popular trends. Some of you may find this helpful; others may find these suggestions unwanted. Here’s how you can turn those off.

Steps to Turn Off Auto-Suggestions:

• Open the Google app or visit google.com in a browser.
• In the search bar, tap the settings gear icon.
• Go to Search Settings.
• Scroll down to Auto-complete with trending searches and turn it off.

It will prevent Google to automatically suggest the search items according to your trends and previous searches.

4. Disabling AI Features in Google Chrome (Android & Web)

Chrome browser has several AI-enhanced features like personalized ads, suggested articles, and syncing your data across devices. Here’s how to control these features:

On Android:

• Open Chrome and tap the three-dot menu in the top-right corner.
• Go to Settings > Privacy and Security.
• Turn off “Make Searches and Browsing Better” (prevents sending browsing data to Google).
• Go to Sync and turn off syncing if you don’t want your data synced across devices.

On Desktop/Web:

• Open Chrome and click the three-dot menu (top-right).
• Go to Settings > Privacy and Security.
• Disable “Use a prediction service to load pages more quickly” and “Autocomplete searches and URLs”.

This reduces Google AI’s influence on your browsing experience.

5. Turning Off Personalized Ads Powered by AI Overview

Google uses AI to tailor advertisements based on your online activity. If you want to stop seeing these personalized ads:

Steps to Disable Personalized Ads:

• Visit Google’s Ad Settings (you can search for “Google Ad Settings” or visit directly via adssettings.google.com).
• Toggle off Ad Personalization.

This won’t stop ads entirely, but it will prevent Google from personalizing them based on your data.

6. Managing Google AI Overview in YouTube, Gmail, and
Google Maps

Google AI extends to many other products, including YouTube, Maps, and Gmail, offering personalized recommendations and suggestions. Here’s how you can minimize its presence:

• YouTube Recommendations: Go to YouTube settings and turn off watch history and search history to reduce AI-based recommendations.
  
• Google Maps Suggestions: In the Google Maps app, go to Settings > Personal content and turn off Web & App Activity to stop location-based suggestions.
  
• Gmail Smart Features: Open Gmail, click the gear icon for settings, go to See all settings, and disable Smart features and personalization to stop AI-powered email suggestions.

Conclusion

Google AI can do useful things, but if you feel the functionality that it brings is intrusion and nonsense, you now have the power to turn off many of the features. By following these steps, you can really cut down the role of Google AI for both your Android and web browsing experience, giving you even more control over your own data and privacy. Note that disabling some of these features may impact the functionality of certain Google services. Select the options that work for you.

FAQs: Google AI Overview and Management

biginnews