How to Turn Off AI Features in Google Workspace and Services
Key Points
- Google’s AI, powered by Gemini, is built into Search, Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Calendar.
- Disabling Workspace smart features removes most AI functions from Google Workspace apps.
- Steps to turn off smart features: Gmail settings → See all settings → Manage Workspace smart feature settings → toggle off both smart feature options.
- AI Overviews can be reduced by disabling the related experiment in Google Labs.
- Adding “-ai” to a search query often prevents AI Overviews from appearing.
- Turning off AI features may remove conveniences like automatic Calendar event creation and personalized search results.
- All changes are reversible; users can re‑enable AI features through the same settings.
Google has woven AI, powered by Gemini, into many of its core products such as Search, Gmail, Docs, and Calendar. While the features can be helpful, users who prefer to limit AI can adjust their settings to disable most of the smart capabilities. By navigating the Gmail settings and the Google Labs experiment, users can turn off Workspace smart features, reduce AI Overviews, and apply simple tricks like adding "-ai" to search queries. These steps allow a more traditional experience without permanently removing the ability to re‑enable the features later.
Understanding Google’s AI Integration
Google has embedded AI, referred to as Gemini‑powered features, throughout its suite of products. The AI appears in Search, Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Calendar, and other services, offering suggestions, automated summaries, and personalized results. While many find these enhancements useful, the pervasive presence can feel like a forced inclusion for users who prefer a less automated experience.
Turning Off Workspace Smart Features
The most direct way to reduce AI is to disable Google Workspace smart features. This action removes many AI‑driven capabilities from Gmail, Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides, including automatic event creation in Calendar and personalized search results. To do this, users should:
- Sign in to their Gmail account.
- Click the settings (gear) icon and choose “See all settings.”
- Under the “General” tab, scroll to the “Google Workspace smart features” section.
- Click “Manage Workspace smart feature settings.”
- Toggle off both “Smart features in Google Workspace” and “Smart features in other Google products.”
These toggles immediately strip away the majority of AI functions while leaving the option to re‑enable them later.
Managing AI Overviews
Disabling the smart features does not automatically eliminate AI Overviews, which appear in Search results and other areas. To further limit these, users can disable the related experiment in Google Labs:
- While signed in, click the Labs (beaker) icon if it is available.
- Scroll down to the “AI experiments” section.
- Select the “AI Overviews and more” experiment.
- Use the toggle to turn the experiment off.
Although turning off the experiment may not erase every AI Overview, it reduces their frequency.
Additional Tips to Reduce AI
For users seeking an extra layer of control, adding the phrase “-ai” to the end of a Google Search query often prevents AI‑generated overlays from appearing. This simple modifier works on both desktop and mobile browsers. Users may also consider setting up a web filter for Google Search or switching to an alternative search engine if they want to avoid AI features entirely.
Considerations After Disabling
When smart features are turned off, some conveniences are lost. For example, Gmail will no longer automatically pull events into Calendar, and search results become less personalized. However, the core functionality of Google’s services remains intact, and users retain the ability to re‑enable AI features through the same settings if they later decide they want the benefits.