Hide AI Overview - Chrome Extension

A simple Chrome extension that removes Google's AI Overview from search results, encouraging students to engage with primary sources.

Why This Exists

Google's AI Overview provides summarized answers at the top of search results. While convenient, this can:

• Discourage students from evaluating multiple sources
• Reduce critical thinking about information credibility
• Create over-reliance on AI-generated summaries

This extension silently removes the AI Overview, forcing students to scroll through and evaluate actual sources.

Installation Options

Option 1: Manual Install (Single Computer)

1. Open Chrome and go to chrome://extensions/
2. Enable "Developer mode" (toggle in top right)
3. Click "Load unpacked"
4. Select this folder (hide-ai-overview)
5. The extension is now active

Option 2: Google Admin Console (District-Wide Deployment)

For deploying across all managed Chromebooks:

1. Package the extension:

   • Zip the contents of this folder
   • Or use Chrome's "Pack extension" feature in chrome://extensions/

2. Upload to Google Admin Console:

   • Go to admin.google.com
   • Navigate to: Devices → Chrome → Apps & Extensions
   • Select the appropriate OU (students)
   • Click the + icon → "Add Chrome app or extension by ID"
   • For self-hosted: Upload the .crx file to a web server and add the URL
   • Or: Use "Add from file" for testing

3. Force Install (Recommended):

   • Set installation policy to "Force install"
   • This prevents students from disabling it

Option 3: Self-Hosted with update_url

For automatic updates across the district:

1. Host the extension files on your district web server
2. Create an updates.xml file (see Google's documentation)
3. Add "update_url" to manifest.json pointing to your updates.xml
4. Deploy via Admin Console with the hosted URL

Icons

You'll need to add two icon files:

• icon48.png (48x48 pixels)
• icon128.png (128x128 pixels)

Any simple icon will work - even just a red "X" or a magnifying glass.

Testing

1. Install the extension
2. Search for something that typically shows AI Overview (e.g., "what is photosynthesis")
3. The AI Overview should not appear - only regular search results

Troubleshooting

AI Overview still showing:

• Google frequently changes their DOM structure
• Check browser console for errors
• The extension may need selector updates

Extension not loading:

• Verify manifest.json has no syntax errors
• Check that all files are in the same folder
• Try removing and re-adding the extension

Updating Selectors

Google may change their HTML structure. If AI Overview starts appearing again:

1. Right-click the AI Overview → Inspect
2. Look for unique attributes (data-*, jsname, etc.)
3. Add new selectors to both hide-ai.css and hide-ai.js

Alternative: uBlock Origin

If you already have uBlock Origin deployed, you can add custom filters instead:

! Hide Google AI Overview
google.com##div[data-attrid="AIOverview"]
google.com##div[jsname="N760b"]
google.com##div:has(> div > h2:has-text("AI Overview"))

License

Free to use, modify, and distribute for educational purposes.

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Created for Niles Community Schools Questions? Contact Jim Tyler - Director of Technology