The accelerated rollout of artificial-intelligence capabilities across Google’s search ecosystem has triggered growing concern among privacy-conscious users and professionals seeking a distraction-free search experience. For many, the addition of AI overviews, Search Labs experiments, and Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) has complicated what was once a clean, reliable, and unobtrusive search interface.
This professional guide explains precisely how to turn off Google AI features across desktop, mobile, and browser environments, and how to remove Search Labs or opt-out of experimental AI trials — while providing best-practice recommendations to maintain a classic, privacy-centric Google Search workflow.
Google’s AI initiative is multifaceted. To successfully disable it, it is essential to understand the components involved:
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| AI Overview (Generative Search) | An automatic AI-generated summary displayed above normal results. |
| Search Labs (SGE Preview) | Google’s opt-in testbed for experimental search tools — including generative AI tools. |
| Trending/AI Suggestions | Predictive suggestions or prompts in the search bar, delivered using AI. |
| Search History Personalisation | Tailoring results based on your past behaviour using machine learning. |
This method applies if your Google account currently has access to Search Labs.
Open a web browser and navigate to: https://labs.google.com/search
Log in with the Google account you typically use in Search.
Locate Search Generative Experience (SGE) in the dashboard.
Toggle the switch from ON (blue) → OFF (grey).
Refresh Google Search.
Result: AI-generated overviews will no longer appear at the top of your search results.
If you see the message “Search Labs isn’t available for your account right now”, follow these instructions to ensure no AI experiments inadvertently activate:
Go Incognito: Press Ctrl+Shift+N in Chrome and use Google Search while signed-out.
Change account type: Switch to a personal Gmail (business/school accounts often have forced Labs settings).
Disable account personalisation: Go tohttps://myaccount.google.com/data-and-privacy → switch Web & App Activity to Paused.
Google often introduces new AI features using opt-in pop-ups or “try now” prompts in your search bar. To eliminate these:
Visit google.com on desktop.
Click Settings (bottom-right corner).
Select Search Settings.
Disable both:
Autocomplete with trending searches
Personal results
Scroll to the bottom → click Save.
These steps prevent most AI prompts, trending suggestions, and experimental overlays from appearing.
AI functionality is sometimes deployed directly into Google Chrome using internal feature flags.
Type chrome://flags into the Chrome address bar.
In the search box, type AI, SGE, or Labs.
For each experimental feature, click the dropdown and select Disabled.
Relaunch Chrome when prompted.
Tip: This method is particularly important if your workplace manages Google enterprise devices — where Labs access may be remotely controlled.
AI-powered results also appear inside the Google mobile app. Here’s how to disable them:
Open the Google app.
Tap your profile icon → Settings.
Tap Search Labs → toggle Generative AI, AI Answers, and AI Topics OFF.
Return to Data & privacy → disable Web & App Activity to suppress AI personalisation.
Force-close and relaunch the app.
Result: The mobile app will display standard search results only.
To stop receiving AI-ranked news stories or pop-up AI suggestions:
On Android: Google App → Settings → General → switch off Discover.
On Chrome Mobile: Open a new tab → tap the gear icon beside “Discover” → turn off.
On iPhone/iPad: Google App → Settings → Notifications → disable all AI suggestions.
To prevent AI labs prompts reappearing:
Go to google.com → click the padlock icon in your browser’s address bar.
Select Cookies and Site Data.
Remove all Google cookies containing “labs”, “sge” or “generative”.
Log out, then log back into your account.
Navigate back to Search Labs, confirming AI remains disabled.
For professionals or enterprises requiring assurance that AI does not leak or hallucinate information:
| Search Engine | AI Used | Ideal For |
|---|---|---|
| DuckDuckGo | None | Legal, medical, compliance use |
| Startpage | Classic Google | Google results w/o tracking |
| Brave Search | Optional (off) | Tech-savvy privacy seekers |
Switching your default search engine in Chrome/Edge is often the surest path to an AI-free search experience.
| Task | Frequency |
|---|---|
| Review Search Settings | Monthly |
| Clear Browsing Cookies & Cache | Bi-weekly |
| Check Chrome Flags After Browser Update | Quarterly |
| Monitor Google Announcements | Regularly |
Staying AI-free requires periodic review — especially as Google regularly updates Search with little user-side notification.
1. How do I completely turn off Google’s AI-generated search overviews?
To disable AI overviews, visit https://labs.google.com/search, locate Search Generative Experience (SGE), toggle it off, and refresh your Google Search page.
2. What should I do if Search Labs is not available on my account?
Try accessing it through a personal Gmail account using Google Chrome. If unavailable, sign out of Google, use Incognito mode, or disable Web & App Activity in your account privacy settings.
3. Can I remove AI features from Chrome’s search bar (Omnibox)?
Yes. Type chrome://flags into Chrome, search for “AI” or “SGE”, set those experimental features to Disabled, and relaunch the browser.
4. How do I stop AI suggestions and trending searches when typing in Google?
Open Google → Settings → Search Settings → switch off Trending Searches and Personal Results, then save your changes.
5. Does turning off Google’s Search Generative Experience affect normal search results?
No. Disabling SGE only hides AI-generated summaries. Standard organic Google Search results remain unchanged.
6. How can I turn off AI features in the Google app on my phone?
Open the Google app → tap your profile → Settings → Search Labs, and switch off all options (e.g., SGE, AI Answers). Then disable Discover in General settings.
7. Can I permanently remove AI-driven news and Discover feeds on Android?
Yes. In the Google app, go to Settings → General → Discover and toggle it off. For Chrome’s new tab page, use the settings icon to remove AI-ranked Discover content.
8. What privacy setting should I disable to reduce AI personalisation?
Go to https://myaccount.google.com/data-and-privacy, and pause or turn off Web & App Activity to stop Google gathering behavioural data for AI personalisation.
9. Is there a way to clear AI-related cookies and stop pop-ups from returning?
Yes. Click the padlock icon in your browser while on google.com, go to Cookies and Site Data, and delete entries referencing labs, sge, or generative. Then sign in again.
10. What search engines can I use if I want a 100% AI-free experience?
Consider switching to DuckDuckGo, Startpage, or Brave Search — all of which offer classic search interfaces without generative AI summaries.
As Google continues integrating AI into its search tools, users increasingly require granular control to retain a classic, reliable search workflow. By thoughtfully disabling Search Labs, turning off SGE, editing browser settings, and limiting personalised tracking, you can effectively remove AI overviews, stop experimental features, and restore classic Google Search.
