Key discovery: Google’s AI-powered search result overviews automatically disable when users include curse words in their search queries, a finding that has gained significant traction on social media platforms.
- The profanity-based deactivation works consistently regardless of where curse words are placed in the search query
- Users can also disable AI overviews by adding “&udm=14” to the search URL or including “-ai” at the end of their search
- These methods effectively return search results to their traditional format without AI-generated summaries
Technical insight: The behavior likely stems from Gemini AI’s programming to avoid engaging with profanity, creating an unintended backdoor to disable the feature.
- Google’s AI system appears programmed to disengage when encountering explicit language
- This limitation in the AI’s processing reveals an exploitable pattern in how the system handles certain types of input
- The constraint demonstrates current boundaries in AI content moderation and response capabilities
User sentiment: The widespread sharing of these workarounds indicates significant user preference for traditional search results over AI-generated summaries.
- Many users find the AI overviews intrusive or unhelpful in their search experience
- The use of profanity has become a cathartic way for frustrated users to bypass unwanted AI features
- Traditional link-based results remain preferred by many for their directness and reliability
System limitations: The situation highlights fundamental challenges in implementing AI-powered search features that truly enhance user experience.
- AI-generated overviews can sometimes provide misleading or incorrect information
- The current implementation may misalign with core user needs and search behaviors
- The ease of bypassing these features suggests potential design flaws in the system
Looking ahead: This user-discovered workaround exposes the gap between Google’s AI-driven vision for search and actual user preferences, suggesting a need to reevaluate how AI features are integrated into core search functionality.
Recent Stories
DOE fusion roadmap targets 2030s commercial deployment as AI drives $9B investment
The Department of Energy has released a new roadmap targeting commercial-scale fusion power deployment by the mid-2030s, though the plan lacks specific funding commitments and relies on scientific breakthroughs that have eluded researchers for decades. The strategy emphasizes public-private partnerships and positions AI as both a research tool and motivation for developing fusion energy to meet data centers' growing electricity demands. The big picture: The DOE's roadmap aims to "deliver the public infrastructure that supports the fusion private sector scale up in the 2030s," but acknowledges it cannot commit to specific funding levels and remains subject to Congressional appropriations. Why...
Oct 17, 2025Tying it all together: Credo’s purple cables power the $4B AI data center boom
Credo, a Silicon Valley semiconductor company specializing in data center cables and chips, has seen its stock price more than double this year to $143.61, following a 245% surge in 2024. The company's signature purple cables, which cost between $300-$500 each, have become essential infrastructure for AI data centers, positioning Credo to capitalize on the trillion-dollar AI infrastructure expansion as hyperscalers like Amazon, Microsoft, and Elon Musk's xAI rapidly build out massive computing facilities. What you should know: Credo's active electrical cables (AECs) are becoming indispensable for connecting the massive GPU clusters required for AI training and inference. The company...
Oct 17, 2025Vatican launches Latin American AI network for human development
The Vatican hosted a two-day conference bringing together 50 global experts to explore how artificial intelligence can advance peace, social justice, and human development. The event launched the Latin American AI Network for Integral Human Development and established principles for ethical AI governance that prioritize human dignity over technological advancement. What you should know: The Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, the Vatican's research body for social issues, organized the "Digital Rerum Novarum" conference on October 16-17, combining academic research with practical AI applications. Participants included leading experts from MIT, Microsoft, Columbia University, the UN, and major European institutions. The conference...