What "AI mode" means and where to find it

Google does not have a single setting called "AI mode" that you turn on or off in one place. Instead, Google has rolled out several AI-powered features across different products — Search Generative Experience (SGE) in Google Search, AI-powered summaries in Gmail, and smart reply suggestions. Each one has its own on-off switch, and where you find it depends on which Google product you are using and which device you are on.

The confusion happens because Google calls these features by different names in different places. When someone says they want to "disable AI mode," they usually mean they want to stop seeing AI summaries in search results, or they want Gmail to stop suggesting replies, or both. This guide walks you through turning off each one.

Key Takeaways

  • Google Search's AI summaries (SGE) can be turned off in your Google account settings under "Experimental features," not in a general "AI mode" toggle.
  • Gmail's smart reply suggestions and AI-powered summaries are controlled separately in Gmail settings under "Smart Compose" and "Summary cards."
  • Some AI features are only available in certain countries and on certain devices, so you may not see all of these options.
  • Turning off AI features in one Google product does not turn them off in another — you have to disable each one separately.

Turning off AI summaries in Google Search

Google Search's AI feature is called Search Generative Experience, or SGE. It shows an AI-written summary at the top of your search results before the regular links. To turn it off, you need to go into your Google account settings, not your search settings.

On a computer, go to myaccount.google.com, then click "Data & privacy" on the left side. Scroll down to "Generative AI features" and click it. You will see a toggle for "Search Generative Experience." Click the toggle to turn it off. On a phone or tablet, the steps are the same — open myaccount.google.com in your browser, tap "Data & privacy," scroll to "Generative AI features," and toggle off "Search Generative Experience."

After you turn it off, you may still see AI summaries occasionally while Google rolls out the change to all your devices. This is normal. It can take a few hours or a day for the setting to take effect everywhere you use Google Search.

Turning off smart reply in Gmail

Smart reply is Gmail's feature that suggests short replies to emails — usually three options that appear below the compose box. To turn it off, open Gmail, click the gear icon in the top right, and select "See all settings."

Click the "Advanced" tab at the top. Scroll down to "Smart Compose" and click the dropdown that says "Smart Compose on." Change it to "Smart Compose off." Scroll to the bottom of the page and click "Save changes."

If you want to keep smart reply but just hide it temporarily, you can also click the X next to the suggestions each time they appear. That will not turn off the feature — it just closes that particular suggestion box. The next time you open a new email to reply to, the suggestions will come back.

Turning off AI summaries in Gmail

Gmail also has a separate feature that summarizes long email threads for you. This is different from smart reply. To turn it off, open Gmail, click the gear icon, and select "See all settings."

Click the "Advanced" tab. Scroll down to "Summary cards" and click the dropdown that says "Summary cards on." Change it to "Summary cards off." Scroll to the bottom and click "Save changes."

Summary cards only appear on certain devices and in certain countries, so you may not see this option at all. If you do not see "Summary cards" in your Advanced settings, it means this feature is not available to you yet.

Checking which AI features are available to you

Google rolls out AI features slowly, region by region and device by device. You might have SGE in Google Search but not smart reply in Gmail, or vice versa. The easiest way to see what you have is to look for the features themselves: open Google Search and see if there is an AI summary box at the top of results. Open Gmail and see if reply suggestions appear below the compose box.

If you do not see a feature, you either have it turned off already, or Google has not made it available in your country or on your device yet. You can also check your account settings at myaccount.google.com under "Data & privacy" to see which generative AI features Google says you have access to.

Why Google might turn AI features back on

After you turn off an AI feature, Google occasionally re-enables it when you update your browser, clear your cookies, or sign into a different device. This happens because the setting is stored in your Google account, not on your computer, but browser updates or cookie clearing can sometimes reset local preferences.

If you notice an AI feature has come back on after you turned it off, go back to the same settings page and turn it off again. If it keeps coming back, try clearing your browser cache and cookies, then log out of Google and log back in. This usually fixes the problem.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will turning off AI features make Google Search faster?

Slightly, but not noticeably. The AI summary appears after your regular search results load, so turning it off removes a small amount of processing time. You will not see a dramatic speed difference. The main reason to turn it off is if you prefer the traditional search results format.

Can I turn off AI in Google Search but keep it in Gmail?

Yes. Each Google product has separate AI settings. You can turn off Search Generative Experience and leave smart reply on in Gmail, or do the opposite. Go to the settings for each product separately to control them independently.

What if I turn off AI features and then change my mind?

Go back to the same settings page and turn the feature back on. For Google Search, that is myaccount.google.com under "Data & privacy" and "Generative AI features." For Gmail, it is the gear icon, "See all settings," then the "Advanced" tab. The toggle will say "off" — click it to turn it back on.

Do I have to turn off AI features on every device I use?

No. The settings are tied to your Google account, so turning off an AI feature in your account settings turns it off on all devices where you are signed in. You do not have to change the setting on your phone, tablet, and computer separately.

Why do I see AI summaries in Google Search even though I turned them off?

Google sometimes takes a few hours to explore the setting change across all its servers. If you turned it off recently, wait a day and check again. If it has been more than a day, try signing out of your Google account and signing back in, then check your settings again to make sure the toggle is still off.