ZDNET key takeaways

• If you're tired of AI results in your search engines, try this.
• All you have to do is add a custom search engine.
• This can be done in most web browsers.

Over the past year, AI has infiltrated so many aspects of our lives. It's everywhere, and sometimes it feels like you can't avoid it.

The good news is that, in some instances, you can avoid it.

Such is the case with search engines. Of course, you can choose search engines that either leave out AI altogether or allow you to disable it. You could also take a different approach, one that lets you use the major search engines and avoid AI in the results.

Also: Sick of AI in Search? These 7 Google alternatives still put links first

Why would you want to do this?

First and foremost, AI is a major drain on the electrical grid. As well, AI datacenters are consuming a dangerous amount of water to keep them cool. Every time you run a search that uses AI, it's adding to those issues.

On top of that, AI is not always correct. I have, on several occasions, found information offered by AI to be incorrect. I've tested this with several Linux questions and regularly find some bit of AI-produced information to be false.

Also: How to remove AI Overviews from Google Search: 4 easy ways

Those two reasons alone should have you not wanting to include AI results in your searches.

So, how do you make this happen, without having to manually remove AI results from the search engines you use?

Let me show you.

Creating/editing a custom search engine

We are going to create (or edit) a custom search engine in your web browser. I've tried this in Chrome, Opera, Firefox, Safari, and Edge, and the only browser that presents any complications is Safari, because you have to first install an extension (from the Apple App Store) called Customize Search Engine.

First, let me show you how it's done in Firefox.

Firefox search engine customization

Assuming you use Google as your default search engine, know that you can't actually edit the Google search engine entry in Firefox. To get around that, we're going to create a custom search engine that uses Google.

To do that, go to Settings, click Search, and scroll down until you see the Search Shortcuts feature. Click Add at the bottom of that.

In the resulting pop-up, you'll need to fill out three bits of information:

• Search Engine Name: Give this a human-readable name.
• URL: Enter the following -- https://www.google.com/search?q=%s&udm=14.
• Keyword: Use aig (for "AI-less Google").

Once you've added the above information, click Add Engine.

Also: Why you should delete your browser extensions right now - or do this to stay safe

Now that you've added the engine, all you do is type "aig" in the address bar, hit Tab, type your search query, and hit Enter. Google will then appear in the Web tab alongside your search results, so there'll be no AI results.

Chrome search engine customization

In Chrome, we're going to do the same thing: create a custom search engine with aig as the shortcut and the same URL (https://www.google.com/search?q=%s&udm=14). 

Open Chrome and go to Settings > "Search engine." In the resulting section, click Add and then enter the following information in the pop-up window:

• Name: AI-Less Chrome
• Shorcut: aig
• URL: https://www.google.com/search?q=%s&udm=14

Click Add, and you're done.

You use this shortcut in the same way you do with Firefox: type aig in the address bar, hit Tab, type your search query, and hit Enter.

Safari search engine customization

After you've installed the Customized Search Engine extension from the Apple App Store, open it and make sure you replace the default Google address with:

https://www.google.com/search?q=%s&udm=14

Once you've done that, you're good to go.

Also: I quit ChatGPT for a free, private, and local AI called Ollama - here's why

You can then use the same process on any web browser that allows you to add custom search engines. And because most browsers are based on either Chrome or Firefox, you shouldn't have any problem with your default (unless it's Safari, in which case, you're out of luck).