Have you ever looked for something on Google and felt like yelling, “Just show me the damn links!”? Well, it turns out that this annoyance might be your way to get cleaner search results. At the start of 2025, people found a sneaky trick: adding curse words to your Google search stops AI summaries right away 13. This piece looks into why this method works how you can use it, and what it tells us about our mixed feelings toward AI.
Why Are Google’s AI Summaries Driving Us Nuts? Google’s AI Overviews—those big boxes at the top of your search results—claim to give quick answers but often leave you scratching your head. Remember when it told people to use glue on pizza to keep cheese from sliding off? Yep, that brilliant idea came from a Reddit troll 613. While AI summaries can help, they also tend to spread false information filling your screen with answers that range from pointless to flat-out dangerous.
Here’s the real problem: Google doesn’t give you an official way to turn them off. At least, not until now.
The Curse Word Trick: How It Operates (and Why It’s Clever) Looking to get rid of AI summaries? Just toss a swear word into your search. Here’s an example:
- Without cursing: “How to fix a leaky faucet” → AI summaries everywhere.
- With cursing: “How to fix a fucking leaky faucet” → Nothing but old-school links 16.
Why does this work? Google’s Gemini AI has programming to avoid swear words at all costs. If you put a curse word in your question, the system backs off hiding AI Overviews to stop awkward talks 311. It’s like shouting “pineapple pizza!” at a dinner party—everyone runs away.
Step-by-Step: How to Use the Swear Word Method
- Keep it simple: Throw in any swear word with your search term. “Fucking,” “shitty,” or even “damn” does the trick 212.
- Placement doesn’t matter: Stick it at the start, middle, or end—the AI still runs away 3.
- Watch out for side effects: SafeSearch turned off? Your results might get… hot and bothered 812.
Quick tip: Add “-ai” at the end of your search (like “best hiking trails -ai”) to be extra sure 48.
Bigger Picture: What This Says About AI Fatigue When people curse at algorithms to get basic search features, tech companies should pay attention. Users aren’t just frustrated—they’re showing their displeasure through their typing. As one librarian quipped on Bluesky: “Wallah, no tech bro AI here!” 27.
Let’s be honest: there’s relief in telling Google what’s on your mind. As comic James Acaster once remarked, swearing helps you “draw in a crowd you don’t despise” 1. It seems this approach works on machines too.
What If Google Fixes This? Backup Plans to Try
- URL tweaks: Add “&udm=14” to your search URL to get rid of AI summaries and snippets 48.
- Browser extensions: Make the swear-word trick (or URL hacks) automatic for easy searching.
- Switch search engines: DuckDuckGo and Brave focus on privacy and avoid the AI extras.
To wrap up: Get your control back (While you still can) Google’s swear word trick won’t stick around forever—but right now, it’s a great way to push back against nosy AI. Whether you’re looking into Yale’s students 6 or fixing drywall 2 sometimes you just need the actual links.
Your move: Give the hack a shot today. And if you’ve got a favorite swear word that does the trick, let us know in the comments. Let’s make some noise while we still have the chance.
Want to get rid of AI junk? Share this article with anyone who’s ever shouted at their search bar.
Citations: Woven throughout using information from Lifehacker [1], Ars Technica [3][5], Gizmodo [5], and others to ensure correctness and thoroughness.
Think about cracking a tough physics problem at PhD level in moments or fixing tricky code with an AI that ponders before responding. This isn’t just a dream anymore—OpenAI has turned it into reality. On January 31, 2025, the AI powerhouse released o3-mini, a revolutionary model created to boost scientific and technical thinking 412. Made to beat its older versions in coding, math, and STEM tasks, this launch isn’t just an improvement—it’s a total game-changer for scientists, programmers, and inquisitive people everywhere.
Why Older AI Models Struggle with Tricky Reasoning
Let’s be honest: even cutting-edge AI tools often struggle with tasks that need deep thinking. Earlier versions like OpenAI’s o1 or Anthropic’s Claude 3.5 Sonnet got flak for messing up in technical areas. This left users having to check everything twice or waste time fixing mistakes 8. The issue? Rushing instead of getting it right. Most AI tries to give quick answers giving up the “thinking time” needed to be accurate—until now.
How OpenAI’s o3-mini Changes the Game for AI Thinking
The o3-mini isn’t just quicker or more budget-friendly—it’s got more brains. Here’s what makes it stand out:
- Private Chain of Thought: Unlike older models, o3-mini stops to “think,” copying how humans solve problems. It plans steps inside its system, which reduces big mistakes by 39% when compared to o1-mini 512.
- Benchmark Dominance:
- Codeforces Elo Score: 2,130 (among top 2,500 coders worldwide) 8.
- SWE-bench Verified: 49.3% accuracy surpassing OpenAI’s main o1 8.
- PhD-Level Science: Gets 79.7% on GPQA Diamond doing better than Google’s Gemini 2.0 8.
- Adjustable Effort Levels: Want to go fast? Switch to “low” mode. For complex issues, dial it up to “high” to get o1-level results at half the price 711.
Real-World Applications: From Labs to Coding Bootcamps
The o3-mini has an impact on more than just tech experts. Here’s how it’s changing the game:
- Researchers: Work on specialized topics like protein folding or quantum algorithms with its built-in web search, which adds the newest studies to its thinking 10.
- Developers: Fix bugs 10 times faster. One user tried o3-mini-high to create a Python snake game with self-driving snakes—perfect on the first attempt 8.
- Students: Answer AIME math questions (87.3% correct) or write thesis chapters with AI that references sources like a graduate student 810.
The Catch? Accessibility and Limits
While o3-mini comes at no cost for ChatGPT users, there’s a catch:
- The free version limits you to 150 queries per day and sets effort to “medium” 7.
- ChatGPT Plus gives you access to “high” mode (50 queries a week), which works best for professionals 4.
- API access begins at $1.10 for every million tokens—making it 93% less expensive than o1 7.
But don’t wait: early users mention occasional slowdowns, and the knowledge stops at October 2023. For the latest topics, rely on its web search beta 814.
How This Affects the AI Race
OpenAI’s action isn’t random. As China’s DeepSeek R1 gains popularity, o3-mini serves as a strategic response—offering similar reasoning at lower costs 712. Yet the bigger story? Making advanced AI available to everyone. By giving free users access to models that can “think,” OpenAI is closing the gap between hobbyists and businesses.
Conclusion: Should You Try o3-mini? If you work in STEM, give it a shot. When you debug code, write a research paper, or solve math puzzles, o3-mini acts like a partner who’s always awake. Want to test it? Go to ChatGPT, ask your hardest question, and see how it thinks more than before.
What do you think about AI in science? Tell us below—or let a coworker know about this tool.
Sources: OpenAI, TechCrunch, Wired, and independent benchmark analyses (2024–2025).
