News
How to turn off AI in your Google Docs
It happened to me: I opened a Google Doc to write an article, and I was immediately confronted with a text box inviting me to “write with Gemini.” I looked for some button to swipe away the garish AI display, but I could not find it. It made me mad.
Now, instead of writing the article I’m supposed to be working on, I am writing about how to get the AI pop-ups off of your Google Docs screen, since it took me some time to figure out. You’re welcome.
The first fix is pretty straightforward:
- Click “Gemini” on the top menu bar above your document.
- On the drop-down menu, select “bottom bar preferences.”
- You can choose to turn off that bottom bar, which will get rid of that AI box at the bottom of your screen.
Full disclosure: I was so enraged when I set out to find “bottom bar preferences” that I initially missed it entirely. Instead, I clicked “Ask something else” and asked Gemini to help me remove itself from my life. AI may not be human, but Gemini seemed to have some sort of survival instinct, because it told me to click the “X” icon. That does not remove Gemini. It simply closed the conversation, the one in which I was asking it how to turn itself off. Suspicious!
Other aggrieved Google Docs users have reported features that I have yet to encounter, like a “help me write” feature that hovers over your cursor while you work. This seems like something that would upset me, so it’s probably worth nipping that in the bud before it’s too late. Benjamin Franklin once said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” (He was talking about fire safety. I am talking about product design.)
Instead of turning off each individual AI feature like a game of whac-o-mole, we can disable “smart features” across our Google workspace via Gmail.
- First, navigate to your Gmail inbox.
- From there, find the gear icon for Settings and click it.
- Then, at the top of the menu, click “See all settings.” (But while you’re here, you should pick out a fun theme for your inbox. Would a little bit of whimsy kill you?)
- After clicking “See all settings,” scroll about half way down the page to find “Google Workspace smart features,” then click “Manage Workspace smart feature settings.”
- Here, you’re presented with two options: one that lets you toggle off smart features in Google Workspace (like those annoying Gemini pop-ups in Google Docs), and one that applies to other smart features (which I personally find less annoying). I only toggled off the first option, but if for some reason you hate when Gmail automatically makes calendar events for your flights, this is where you can fix that.
You should now be safe from annoying Gemini pop-ups that disrupt your writing process in Google Docs. You can rest easy.
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Controversy surrounding the All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Representatives primary election for the Pankshin/Kanke/Kanam Federal Constituency has taken a new turn, with officials who conducted the exercise alleging attempts by some aggrieved aspirants to undermine the credibility of the election.
The allegations were made on Tuesday during a press briefing in Jos by members of the Forum of Ward Presiding Officers, Local Government Collation Officers and Constituency Collation/Returning Officers.
Speaking on behalf of the forum, its Chairman, Chinwatda Tapar, claimed that some aspirants approached election officials after the May 16, 2026 primary and urged them to sign affidavits containing accounts that contradicted what transpired during the exercise.
According to Tapar, some officials were allegedly offered financial inducements, while others faced intimidation and sustained pressure in a bid to secure their cooperation.
“Our duty was to conduct a free, fair and credible election, not to become instruments in any post-election effort aimed at distorting the truth,” he said.
Tapar explained that the election officials were appointed by the APC National Secretariat through the committee constituted to conduct the party’s 2026 National Assembly primary elections in Plateau State, headed by Hon. Stella Okotete.
He stated that the committee deployed them to oversee the Pankshin/Kanke/Kanam Federal Constituency primary, which, according to him, was conducted peacefully, transparently and in compliance with the APC constitution and electoral guidelines.
He maintained that the election produced a winner who was duly declared and returned after the collation of results.
The forum further disclosed that it had retained information relating to the alleged approaches made by the aggrieved aspirants and would present the evidence to law enforcement agencies, the APC leadership or any court of competent jurisdiction if required.
The officials urged party members and stakeholders to channel any grievances arising from the primary election through lawful and democratic processes rather than attempting to influence election officials.
“Our responsibility as Ward Presiding Officers, Local Government Collation Officers and Constituency Collation/Returning Officers ended with the successful conduct of the primary election and the declaration of its outcome,” Tapar added.
The forum reaffirmed its commitment to truth, fairness, due process and the democratic principles of the APC, insisting that it would not participate in any effort to compromise the integrity of the primary election or distort the facts surrounding its conduct.
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