Introduction
This blog explains how to turn off or minimize AI Overviews in Google Search using Safe Doc. Google’s new AI Overviews are designed to give quick, summarized answers, but they can sometimes feel intrusive, inaccurate or unnecessary, especially if you prefer browsing traditional web links or doing your own research. While Google doesn’t currently offer a direct off switch, there are practical workarounds to help you get back the classic search experience you know and trust.
What are AI Overviews?
AI Overviews are summaries generated by artificial intelligence that provide quick, concise answers to search queries often at the top of search results. Google introduced this feature as part of its Search Generative Experience (SGE) and it uses AI models to synthesize information from multiple sources on the web.
Why Turn Off AI Overviews in Google Search For Educational Purposes ?
In a classroom setting, whether physical or virtual, maintaining focus and limiting distractions is essential to delivering an effective learning experience. AI overviews in Google searches can act as potent sources of distraction for students, while searching important information related to their projects or course work AI overviews can provide unnecessary or wrong information to students and could divert their attention from the topic at hand. So to be on a safer side it is advised to disable AI overviews to avoid any future distractions.
Problem : Mrs. Watkins has assigned new projects to her students before the thanksgiving holidays, the new project requires extensive research and targeted web search related to assigned topics, Mrs Watkins fears that due to the introduction of AI overviews in Google search students might get distracted and may fail to complete the project on time.
Solution : To address this concern Mrs. Watkins talked with the IT departments administrator Mr Taylor and narrated her problem to him so as to find an easy and quick solution to it. After understanding the core problem Mr. Taylor told her that Safe Docs new policy can easily block the Ai overviews and can prevent unnecessary distraction. Mr. Taylor deployed the new policy and successfully blocked the Ai overviews in Google searches for every school student account.
Result : By deploying the new Safe Doc policy that blocks AI Overviews in Google searches, administrators helped students avoid unnecessary distractions and complete their assigned projects on time. This real-life example shows how useful this Safe Doc policy is in an educational setting.
Disable the AI Overviews in Google Search with xFanatical Safe Doc
Google introduced AI Overviews to help users find information quickly, but in some cases, they can be misleading or off-topic. If you want to stop these distracting pop-ups in your Chrome browser, you can easily disable them by launching the xFanatical Safe Doc BlockGoogleSearchAIOverview policy.
xFanatical Safe Doc disables the AI Overviews in Google Search
What is a xFanatical Safe Doc?
xFanatical Safe Doc is a powerful tool that helps Google Workspace admins maintain a focused and secure online learning environment. This extension launches various policies that manage and restrict online features to create a safe and productive digital space. xFanatical Safe Doc integrates seamlessly with Google Workspace and offers policies to disable the Link Preview feature in Docs, Slides, and Drawings, block templates in Google Slides, and block Stock and Web options in Google Slides. It also introduces new features that disable AI Overviews and AI Mode during traditional Google searches.
How to Block AI Overviews Using xFanatical Safe Doc
Step 1: Install Safe Doc:
The first step is to install Safe Doc in your Google Workspace environment. Safe Doc is a browser extension that seamlessly integrates with Google workspace, providing enhanced control and security features.
Step 2: Configure Safe Doc settings:
Once Safe Doc is installed, you can configure its settings to disable the AI overviews in Google Search.
Step 3: Access Google Admin Console:
Now, navigate to the Google Admin Console. In the Google Admin Console, click Devices > Chrome > Apps & Extensions and click on Users & Browsers.
Step 4: Apply the policy:
Locate the policy that you wish to apply and review it. The policy will display in a specific format similar to the example provided below:
"BlockGoogleSearchAIOverview": {
"Value": true
}
Step 5: Save the Policy:
After applying the policy, click Save.
How to Configure a Safe Doc?
To configure Safe Doc successfully, ensure the deployment of Safe Doc on your students' Chrome browsers and review the xFanatical Safe Doc Configuration document for detailed instructions.
Conclusion
Hopefully, this article helped you understand how to use xFanatical Safe Doc to block AI Overviews in Google searches. Follow the steps carefully for the best results, and if you have any questions or run into issues, feel free to comment below—we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
To learn more about how xFanatical Safe Doc can help enhance online safety in your educational institution, visit our website xFanatical Safe Doc
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