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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News
Nigeria’s Telemedicine Gap: Over 80% interested, less than 20% using services – Technology Times
More than 80% of Nigerians surveyed are willing to use telemedicine services, but fewer than 20% have ever used them, highlighting a gap between demand for digital healthcare and actual adoption in the country.
The findings were disclosed by Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), at the Tech Outlook event in Lagos, organised by the SATH Foundation in collaboration with the agency.
The findings point to a potential opportunity for technology companies and investors seeking to expand digital healthcare services in Nigeria, while raising questions about the factors preventing more Nigerians from translating their willingness to use telemedicine into actual usage.
“Insights of this nature could help investors identify unmet needs, enable innovators to develop relevant solutions, and guide policymakers in addressing barriers to technology adoption,” the research presentation stated.
NITDA: Telemedicine insights can help investors spot unmet needs
Telemedicine uses digital communication technologies to enable patients to access healthcare services remotely, including consultations with medical professionals without necessarily visiting a hospital or clinic.
Inuwa said the research informing the Nigeria Tech Outlook could help stakeholders understand technology needs across the country and identify areas where innovation could address existing gaps.
“Insights of this nature could help investors identify unmet needs, enable innovators to develop relevant solutions, and guide policymakers in addressing barriers to technology adoption,” the research presentation stated.
The disparity between willingness to use telemedicine and actual usage illustrates the distinction between potential demand for a digital service and its adoption in practice.
For healthcare providers and technology developers, the findings could help inform decisions about the design, accessibility and delivery of digital health solutions. However, the research details presented at the event did not specify why respondents who expressed willingness to use telemedicine had not yet used the services.
Potential factors such as affordability, internet access, digital literacy, trust in remote consultations and the availability of suitable services may warrant further investigation. The available research findings, however, do not establish these factors as the reasons for the adoption gap.
The findings also highlight the importance of understanding consumer needs before developing and deploying technology products. Without evidence of what users require and the barriers they face, investments in digital solutions may fail to translate into widespread adoption.
Nigeria Tech Outlook examines five sectors
The Nigeria Tech Outlook examines five key sectors: financial services, telecommunications, commerce and trade, government services and healthcare.
The initiative seeks to provide evidence to support policy development, investment decisions and technology adoption across these sectors, with the broader objective of strengthening Nigeria’s technology intelligence.
For the healthcare sector, a better understanding of demand for remote consultations could help stakeholders assess where digital services may complement conventional healthcare delivery.
Wider adoption, however, would depend on identifying and addressing the specific challenges faced by prospective users, while ensuring that services meet appropriate healthcare and data protection requirements.
Beyond healthcare, the research reflects a wider challenge for Nigeria’s technology ecosystem: turning interest in digital products into sustained use that creates value for individuals, businesses and the economy.
Inuwa emphasised that Nigeria’s growing pool of technology talent would not, on its own, guarantee a globally competitive innovation ecosystem.
The country also needs an environment in which innovators can develop relevant products, businesses can scale and technology can contribute to economic growth.
This approach places greater emphasis on measurable outcomes, including the ability of technology solutions to meet demonstrated needs and improve productivity, rather than innovation activity alone.
Collaboration among government, industry leaders, investors and innovators is central to the initiative.
By providing a clearer picture of technology demand across major sectors, the Nigeria Tech Outlook aims to support decisions that encourage the development of homegrown solutions and sustainable economic opportunities.
The telemedicine findings offer one example of how research into user behaviour can help identify potential areas for digital innovation. The next challenge is determining what prevents interested Nigerians from using available services and how providers, investors and policymakers can respond.
Addressing that gap could help Nigeria move beyond a growing supply of technology talent towards an innovation ecosystem in which digital solutions achieve wider adoption and deliver measurable benefits.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has urged the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies to strengthen measures to protect persons with disabilities and guarantee their participation in the 2027 general elections.
The commission said electoral security arrangements must address the specific challenges faced by voters with disabilities, including intimidation, inaccessible polling units, communication barriers and threats of violence.
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash O. Amupitan, SAN, made the appeal on Friday during a high-level technical engagement on disability-inclusive election security and protection protocols in Abuja.
The meeting, held at the Abuja Inter-Continental Hotel, brought together security agencies, the European Union, TAF Africa, organisations of persons with disabilities and other stakeholders to develop strategies for safer and more accessible elections.
Amupitan said the success of an election should be measured not only by the conduct of voting but also by whether all eligible citizens could exercise their rights without fear or discrimination.
“The credibility of our elections depends not only on the voting process but also on the ability of every eligible citizen to participate freely, safely and without discrimination,” he said.
He warned that persons with disabilities remained vulnerable to obstacles that could restrict their participation and called for stronger safeguards against harassment, intimidation and insecurity.
“Persons with disabilities must be protected against intimidation, harassment, insecurity and other barriers that could prevent them from exercising their franchise,” the INEC chairman said.
Amupitan identified the 1999 Constitution, as amended, the Electoral Act 2026 and the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2018 among the legal instruments supporting inclusive electoral participation.
He also cited Nigeria’s obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and INEC’s 2026 Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections, which provide for priority access, assistance and appropriate voting materials for persons with disabilities.
The chairman urged the police to maintain professionalism and impartiality while ensuring that security operations did not undermine the dignity or independence of voters requiring assistance.
“Appropriate assistance must preserve the dignity, independence, privacy and freedom of choice of voters with disabilities,” he said.
He called for disability-related concerns to be integrated into security assessments, personnel training, deployment plans and emergency-response procedures before election day.
According to him, such preparations should include identifying polling locations that are difficult to access, areas prone to congestion, potential security flashpoints and communication challenges that could prevent voters from casting their ballots.
Amupitan also advocated improved cooperation among INEC, the police and other security agencies through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security, ICCES.
He said the collaboration should facilitate timely information-sharing, clarify the responsibilities of participating agencies and ensure swift responses to emerging security threats.
The INEC chairman listed the development of clear disability-inclusive security protocols, specialised training for police officers, accessible incident-reporting channels and continuous engagement with organisations of persons with disabilities among the measures required ahead of the 2027 general elections.
No voter should be denied voting rights due to disability, insecurity – INEC
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