Microsoft Says Bing Users Can Turn Off AI Search Features Through a Browser Extension or a Query Suffix
TLDR
Microsoft says Bing users can still turn off AI search features, now by installing a browser extension or adding -ai to a query, after removing the in-settings option.
What this Bing removal means for your site
- Status
- Removed
- Platform
- Bing
- Affects
- AI search features, Copilot in Bing Search, -ai query suffix
- Who
- Bing Search users
- Effective
- Not specified in the source
- Action needed
- Not specified in the source
Optimixed Overview
Optimixed's original report on this story.
Microsoft has again said that AI features in Bing Search can be turned off. Bing previously had a setting to disable AI Search (Copilot), but it removed that setting and now points users to a browser extension or to adding -ai to a query, as SERoundtable reports.
How we got here: earlier Bing coverage
- Nov 12Bing Adds an AI-Off Switch for Chrome That Also Sets Bing as the Default Search Engine
Bing now hides AI answers when -ai is added to a query, and the same switch is tied to making Bing the default search engine in Chrome.
- Oct 30Microsoft Unveils Bing AI Controls That Separate Training and Grounding Choices
Microsoft announced new Bing AI content controls that let site owners make separate choices about training, grounding, or both, while staying eligible for Bing search results.
- Sep 25Bing Tests Replacing Copilot With AI Mode in Search Tabs
Microsoft is testing renaming Bing's Copilot search tab to AI Mode, aligning its naming with Google's terminology.
- Aug 27Microsoft Tests Renaming Copilot Search to AI Overviews on Bing
Microsoft is testing a rebrand of its Bing Copilot Search answer box to "AI Overviews," matching Google's terminology.