Microsoft adds a way to turn off AI in Bing search results

What Microsoft released

Microsoft has put out a browser extension that lets people switch off the AI features in Bing search results. An extension is a small add-on that installs into your web browser and changes how it behaves. This one works in both Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge, and it is available to download now, as Windows Central on MSN reported.

The features it targets are the AI overviews and the chat features. An AI overview is a written summary generated by an AI system and placed alongside or above the usual list of links. Once the extension is installed, you get a toggle in your browser. You can flip it on or off whenever you like, so the choice is not permanent.

Microsoft framed the move as a matter of user choice. In a blog post, the company said that Bing users should have a choice in how they search. It also said Bing offers both AI-powered and traditional search, and it pointed to the extension as one way to get the traditional kind.

Two ways to switch AI off

The extension is not the only route. Microsoft has also added what Windows Central calls an operator tag. An operator is a small piece of text you add to a search that changes how the search engine handles it. In this case, you put -ai at the end of your search term, and Bing turns off all of its AI features for that query.

The two options suit different habits, and each has a trade-off:

• The extension keeps AI off automatically every time you search. You install it once and then forget about it, though you can still flip it back on.
• The -ai tag needs no extension at all. But it only applies to the search you typed it on, so you must remember it every time.

If you rarely mind the AI features and only want them gone now and then, the tag is the lighter touch. If you want them gone as a standing preference, the extension is the better fit.

The catch: Bing becomes your default

There is one thing to know before you install. Windows Central warns that the extensions will set your default search provider to Bing. That is the search engine your browser uses when you type a question into the address bar.

The outlet notes this is logical, since the extension only works on Bing search results. Still, it is a real change if you currently use another search engine. If you only want to try the AI-off experience, you may prefer the -ai tag first, because it does not touch your browser settings.

Windows Central also points out something Microsoft has not explained: why this feature arrives as an extension and not as a switch inside the Bing website. The source does not give a reason, so it is best treated as an open question.

Why the choice matters

Microsoft said that research shows users want to decide whether AI is involved in each session. That is a notable thing for a company that has built AI deeply into its search product to say. It suggests that not everyone wants a generated summary standing between them and the links.

Some people prefer the traditional list of results because they like to pick sources themselves. Others simply find the extra text in the way. Either way, a clear off switch, or at least a short tag, makes the experience more predictable.

The practical lesson reaches beyond Bing. When a product adds AI by default, it is worth checking whether the maker also offers a way to turn it off, and how much effort that takes.

How to test it yourself

The easiest experiment costs nothing. Run a few of your usual searches in Bing and add -ai to the end of each. Compare the results with and without it. You will quickly see whether the AI summaries help you or just add noise.

If you decide you prefer the quieter version, you can then decide whether the extension is worth the switch to Bing as your default search provider. If you prefer the AI summaries, you have lost nothing. The point is that the decision is now in your hands rather than made for you.