Google Search: Difference between revisions

Overview hallucinations have also given false claims that have generated controversies, with some cases ending in lawsuits, such as Wolf River Electric suing Google in June 2025 for false AI Overview claims that alleged the company faced a lawsuit from Ellison for deceptive practices.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Martin |first=Emmy |date=13 Jun 2025 |title=Minnesota Solar Company Sues Google Over AI Summary |url=https://www.govtech.com/public-safety/minnesota-solar-company-sues-google-over-ai-summary |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251130025033/https://www.govtech.com/public-safety/minnesota-solar-company-sues-google-over-ai-summary |archive-date=30 November 2025 |access-date=25 May 2026 |website=Government Technology}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=LTL LED, LLC, D/B/A Wolf River Electric VS Google LLC |url=https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mnd.225722/gov.uscourts.mnd.225722.1.1.pdf |url-status=live |website=Court Listener |author=State of Minnesota, County of Ramsey |date=6 Sep 2025}}</ref> There have been also cases of site owners suing Google for copyright infringements and antitrust practices.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Meek |first=Andy |date=14 Sep 2025 |title=Why Rolling Stone Owner Penske Media Just Declared War On Google |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/andymeek/2025/09/14/why-rolling-stone-owner-penske-media-just-declared-war-on-google/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260525204725/https://www.forbes.com/sites/andymeek/2025/09/14/why-rolling-stone-owner-penske-media-just-declared-war-on-google/ |archive-date=25 May 2026 |access-date=25 May 2026 |website=Forbes}}</ref> In June 2026, a German court made Google liable for false information and biases in the AI Overview answers. <ref>{{Cite web |last=Bastian |first=Matthias |date=11 Jun 2026 |title=Landmark German ruling declares Google's AI Overviews are Google's own words and makes it liable for false answers |url=https://the-decoder.com/landmark-german-ruling-declares-googles-ai-overviews-are-googles-own-words-and-makes-it-liable-for-false-answers/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260611211438/https://the-decoder.com/landmark-german-ruling-declares-googles-ai-overviews-are-googles-own-words-and-makes-it-liable-for-false-answers/ |archive-date=2026-06-11 |access-date=11 Jun 2026 |website=The Decoder}}</ref>

There's no official method to completely disable AI Overview from search results. However, adding <code>-ai</code> at the end of search queries prevents the AI Overview to appear.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stimac|first=Blake |date=20 Apr 2026 |title=How to Tell Google's AI Features to Leave You Alone, Once and for All |url=https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/how-to-tell-googles-ai-features-to-leave-you-alone-once-and-for-all/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260524051148/https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/how-to-tell-googles-ai-features-to-leave-you-alone-once-and-for-all/ |archive-date=2026-05-24 |access-date=25 May 2026 |website=CNet}}</ref> Other workarounds to disable AI overviews include searching under the Web category or adding <code>?udm=14&q</code> in the search link, after <code>https://www.google.com/search</code>and before the query name. <ref>{{Cite web |last=Cohen |first=Jason |date=20 May 2026 |title=Google’s AI Overviews Don't Have an Off Switch. 4 Tricks to Return to Traditional Web Results |url=https://www.pcmag.com/explainers/googles-ai-overviews-dont-have-off-switch-4-tricks-to-turn-them-off |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260527193918/https://www.pcmag.com/explainers/googles-ai-overviews-dont-have-off-switch-4-tricks-to-turn-them-off |archive-date=2026-05-27 |access-date=2 Jun 2026 |website=PCMag}}</ref>