How to turn off AI in Google, Gmail, Chrome, and other apps.

It’s not easy trying to stay out of it. As a journalist covering the technology field, I’ve heard many accounts from people who were perfectly happy with how their applications and operating systems worked before the artificial intelligence boom. 

They’re not interested in AI-generated search results, summary buttons, and offers of help with writing. But it’s not always clear how to disable these features.

Now, if you’re willing to go through some complicated steps (or perhaps adopt apps that haven’t jumped on the bandwagon), it’s still possible to go back in time to an almost entirely AI-free existence. Here’s how.

Disable AI on Google and other search engines.

Although Google very much wants to answer your searches with artificial intelligence, it has quietly added a way to suppress AI responses by adding “-ai” to your searches.

Having to type that every time isn’t ideal. But if your internet browser supports custom search engines, you can configure it to automatically add “-ai” to the end of each query.

In Chrome for desktop, for example:

1. Go to Settings > Search engines > Manage search engines and site search.

2. Click the “Add” button next to “Search the site”.

3. Type “Google Without AI” in the Name field and “gsia” in the Shortcut field.

4. In the URL field, enter the following: [https://www.google.com/search?q=%s$20-ai](https://www.google.com/search?q=%s$20-ai)

5. Click the three vertical dots (⋮) next to the Site Search entry you just created and select “Make default” to always use this version of Google.

Instructions for other browsers vary, but here’s a guide you can follow. Alternatively, you can switch to a search engine whose AI settings are easier to control:

• The DuckDuckGo “No-AI” extension for Chrome or Firefox will set DuckDuckGo as your default with AI responses disabled. You can also disable AI for the DuckDuckGo website and mobile app in Settings > AI Features.
• Brave Search has a settings page where you can disable the “Respond with AI” feature.
• Kagi only offers AI-generated answers when you add a question mark to your searches, but it also has a settings page to disable them (there’s also a feature to demote or hide sites suspected of having AI-generated content).

Disable AI features in Chrome and other browsers.

Chrome’s built-in AI features include typing assistance and an “Enhanced Safe Browsing” mode that monitors for potential scams, and they use about 4 GB of storage space. To disable these features, tap the three vertical dots icon (⋮) in Chrome, go to Settings > System, and turn off the “AI on device” option.

You should also go to Settings > AI Innovations > History search, powered by AI, and turn the switch off.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t stop there. Chrome will also try to direct your searches to “AI Mode” and will occasionally display a Google Lens pop-up while you browse the web. The only way to ban these buttons is through hidden settings:

1. Type chrome://flags in the address bar.

2. Type “AI Mode” in the search box.

3. Use the dropdown menus for “AI Mode Omnibox Entry Point”, “AI Entry Point Disabled on User Input”, and “Allow AI Mode Matches in Omnibox” and change them all to ” Disabled “.

4. Now, type “Contextual Omnibox” in the search box.

5. Use the dropdown menus for “Contextual Omnibox search in focus suggestions” and “Contextual Omnibox suggestions” and change both to ” Off “. 6. Use the “Restart” button to restart Chrome.

Are you using a different browser with unwanted AI features? Follow these instructions:

• Mozilla Firefox: Go to Settings > AI Controls and enable the “Block AI enhancements” switch.
• Microsoft Edge: Right-click the Copilot Chat icon and select “Hide Copilot”. Now, disable the options “Show Copilot button in toolbar” and “Copilot new tab page”. You should also go to “Browse with Copilot” and select “Strict”.
• Brave: Go to Settings > Leo and disable “Show Leo icon” and “Show Leo in context menu”. Then, go to “Adjust autocomplete suggestions” and uncheck “Leo AI Assistant”.

You might also consider Vivaldi, which has committed to removing AI features from its internet browser.

Keep AI out of your email.

If you’re not interested in Gmail summarizing your messages with AI, you can hide this option, but at a cost:

• Gmail (desktop): Click the gear icon, select “See all settings,” then locate and click the “Manage Workspace smart features settings” button. Turn off the “Smart features in Google Workspace” and “Smart features in other Google products” switches.
• Gmail (mobile devices): Access Settings in the left sidebar, select your email address, and tap “Smart features in Google Workspace”. Turn off the “Smart features in Google Workspace” and “Smart features in other Google products” switches.

Note that disabling these settings will also disable some non-AI-related features, such as having reservations received in Gmail automatically appear in your calendar. There is no way to disable Gemini features in isolation.

Disable AI in Microsoft Office and Outlook

Don’t want Copilot interfering with your documents and spreadsheets? Fortunately, the Microsoft 365 suite offers simple ways to disable Copilot:

• For Windows: Go to Options > Copilot, uncheck the “Enable Copilot” box, and restart the application.
• Mac: Go to Preferences > Authoring and Reviewing Tools > Copilot, uncheck the “Enable Copilot” box, and restart the application.
• Outlook: Go to Settings or Quick Settings, select Copilot in the sidebar, and turn off the “Enable Copilot” option.

Note that Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other Microsoft 365 applications have separate Copilot controls, so you’ll have to disable them in each application. Unfortunately, these settings are not available on mobile devices.

Alternatively, you can try an office suite that doesn’t include AI from the start, such as LibreOffice.

AVOID AI-GENERATED MUSIC

Most music streaming services are hesitant to restrict the technology on their platforms, fearing that artists who use AI as a tool will be harmed along with those who mass-produce low-quality content.

Credit: Freepik