Chrome Extension emerges as users seek control over Google search results

Google this month launched AI Overviews, a new feature that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to provide summaries of search results. However, concerns arose soon after regarding the accuracy of the information presented in these summaries.

AI Overviews appear at the top of Google search results pages and are intended to offer users a concise summary of the information found in the underlying webpages. According to Google, AI Overviews are generated using machine learning models trained on massive datasets of text and code.

Several incidents raised concerns about the accuracy of AI Overviews. For instance, searches related to preventing cheese from sliding off pizza resulted in AI Overviews suggesting the use of "non-toxic glue" in the pizza sauce. Other examples included misleading health information, as documented in articles from Ars Technica and The Guardian.

These incidents led some users to question the trustworthiness of AI Overviews and their potential impact on people searching for information online. In response, a Chrome extension called "Hide Google AI Overviews" gained traction.

Hide Google AI Overviews extension has over 7,000 users as of May 27, 2024, it has become a popular choice for those who prefer to see traditional search results without the AI summaries. Once installed, the extension modifies the way search results are displayed in the Chrome web browser. According to the extension's description, it utilizes CSS, a coding language for web design, to essentially hide the AI Overviews section on Google search results pages.

The emergence of the Hide Google AI Overviews extension, with its over 7,000 users, reflects a growing user desire for more control over search engine results pages (SERPs). While this number represents a small fraction of Google's total user base, it highlights the ongoing debate about the role of AI in search.