Over the past year, AI has infiltrated so many aspects of our lives. It seems to be everywhere, and sometimes it feels like you cannot avoid it. The good news is that, in some instances, you can. Such is the case with search engines. While you can choose engines that leave out AI altogether, or allow you to disable it, there is a simpler approach: creating a custom search engine that automatically strips AI from your results, no matter which major browser you use.

Why bother avoiding AI in search results?

The first reason is environmental. AI is a massive drain on the electrical grid. Data centers running AI models consume enormous amounts of energy, and they also require vast quantities of water for cooling. Every time you run a search that uses AI, you are contributing to these issues. On top of that, AI is often not correct. Many users have found information offered by AI to be inaccurate or misleading. I have personally tested this with several Linux questions and regularly found bits of AI-produced information to be false. These two reasons alone should make you want to exclude AI from your searches.

Fortunately, you do not need to manually remove AI results every time. Instead, you can configure your browser to use a custom search engine that automatically adds a special parameter to your Google search URL, effectively telling Google to skip the AI overviews and show only the traditional web results. This trick works in nearly every browser, including Firefox, Chrome, Edge, Opera, and even Safari with a small extra step.

How it works: the udm=14 parameter

The key is a simple URL parameter: udm=14. When added to a Google search URL, it disables the AI-generated overviews and presents results in the standard Web tab. The full URL to use is: https://www.google.com/search?q=%s&udm=14. The %s is a placeholder into which your browser will inject your search query. By creating a custom search engine with this URL, every search you run through that shortcut will automatically omit AI content.

Setting it up in Mozilla Firefox

Firefox makes it easy to add custom search engines. Go to Settings, click Search, and scroll down to the Search Shortcuts section. Click the Add button at the bottom. In the pop-up, fill out three fields: Search Engine Name (e.g., AI-Less Google), URL (paste https://www.google.com/search?q=%s&udm=14), and Keyword (use aig for convenience). Click Add Engine. Now, whenever you want to search without AI, just type aig in the address bar, press Tab, enter your query, and hit Enter. Google will display only the Web tab results, free of AI overviews.

Setting it up in Google Chrome

Chrome follows a similar process. Open Settings > Search engine > Manage search engines and site search. Under Site Search, click Add. Fill in: Name (e.g., AI-Less Chrome), Shortcut (e.g., aig), and URL with the same parameter. Click Add. To use it, type aig in the address bar, press Tab, type your query, and press Enter. The search will bypass AI results.

Setting it up in Microsoft Edge and Opera

Edge, being based on Chromium, works identically to Chrome. Open Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Address bar and search > Manage search engines. Click Add, fill in the details, and save. Opera users will find the option under Settings > Search engine > Manage search engines. The same URL works perfectly.

Setting it up in Apple Safari

Safari requires a workaround because it does not natively support custom search engines with parameters. You need to install a free extension from the Mac App Store called Customized Search Engine. After installation, open the extension and replace the default Google URL with https://www.google.com/search?q=%s&udm=14. Once saved, all searches through Safari will automatically include the no-AI parameter. This is the only browser that demands an extra step.

Alternative search engines without AI

If you prefer not to tweak your browser, you can switch to search engines that have explicitly opted out of AI integration. DuckDuckGo, for example, offers an option to disable AI overviews. Kagi, a paid search engine, provides a clean, ad-free experience with no AI clutter. StartPage also delivers Google results without AI enhancements. However, the custom search engine method described here lets you stick with Google while avoiding AI.

Why this matters beyond personal preference

The growing reliance on AI in search has raised concerns about misinformation and energy consumption. AI models like Google's Gemini (which powers Search Generative Experience) can produce plausible but incorrect answers, especially for niche topics. By manually excluding AI, you ensure that you see the most reliable, human-curated content from the web. Additionally, avoiding AI reduces your carbon footprint—a small but meaningful action for environmentally conscious users.

Once you have set up the custom search engine, the process is seamless. You will not lose any functionality; you simply gain a way to search with confidence, knowing that the results are not generated by a black-box algorithm that may hallucinate facts. This technique works in most browsers, ensuring that no matter which browser you prefer, you can keep AI out of your searches.

Source: ZDNET News