How to turn on Google AI Mode (and how to avoid it)

You usually do not need to turn Google AI Mode on: it sits as a separate tab next to your normal search results, at the top of the page on desktop and next to or below the search bar in the Google app. If you do not see the tab, check that you are signed in with a personal Google account and that your app is up to date. Fully disabling it is not possible, but you can simply not click it, and the Web filter shows classic results only.

Since Google started rolling out AI Mode, thousands of people search every month for how to turn it on, and sometimes mostly for how to get rid of it. This guide answers both, short and practical. Want to know what AI Mode means for your own visibility as a business owner? Read the complete guide to Google AI Mode.

Turning on AI Mode on your phone

AI Mode is built into the Google app on Android and iPhone:

1. Open the Google app and make sure you are signed in with your Google account.
2. Look below the search bar: next to tabs like Images and News sits the AI Mode tab. On newer versions there is also a dedicated button in or below the search bar.
3. Tap the tab, ask your question and the conversation starts.

Searching through your phone's browser (Chrome or Safari)? The AI Mode tab appears at the top of the results page, in the same spot as on desktop.

Turning on AI Mode on desktop

Go to google.com and run a search. Above the results sits the row of tabs: All, Images, Videos, and there you will also find AI Mode. One click and you are in the conversation. Google also experiments with a button straight on the homepage, so the exact spot can differ slightly per account.

No AI Mode tab? This is why

• You are not signed in. AI Mode requires a personal Google account. Sign in and try again.
• Work or school account. On Workspace accounts the administrator can disable AI features. Test with a personal account.
• Outdated app. Update the Google app in the App Store or Play Store.
• Age or settings. Google does not show AI Mode on accounts of minors and accounts with certain search settings.
• Rollout. Google ships features in phases; sometimes it is literally a matter of waiting a few days.

Can you turn AI Mode off?

Honest answer: no, not really. Google offers no setting to fully disable AI Mode or AI Overviews. What you can do:

• Ignore it. AI Mode only starts when you click the tab. Stay in the regular results and nothing changes.
• Use the Web filter. After a search, click the Web tab (sometimes hidden under More). You get classic links only, without an AI Overview.
• Clean up your history. Remove earlier AI conversations via your AI Mode history, or delete it entirely.

Good to know when you use AI Mode

AI Mode remembers the context of your conversation: you can ask follow-up questions like with a chatbot, and your earlier conversations are stored in your history. Better questions produce better answers, and always double-check important answers at the source: Google's AI gets things wrong too.

For business owners: what AI Mode means for your site

Every searcher who turns on AI Mode is a searcher who clicks classic results less often. So you do not just want to rank, you want to be cited inside the AI answers themselves. Read how that works in the AI Mode guide for SEO, and see where your site stands today with a free SEOptimate demo.