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Google Search AI Overviews Display Blank Space for Certain Keywords
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Engadget5/22/2026Tech1 min read

Google Search AI Overviews Display Blank Space for Certain Keywords

Quick Look

  • Google's new AI-focused search experience is displaying blank AI Overviews for keywords like "disregard" and "stop," instead of definitions.
  • Users and publications have reported the issue, which Engadget staff could replicate.

AI-generated summary

Why It Matters

Google began rolling out an updated, AI-focused search experience at I/O 2026. Users have reported issues with the new feature.

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Google appears to be running into some hiccups after the company began rolling out its updated, and even more AI-focused search experience at I/O 2026. Currently, searching for the words "disregard," "stop" or "ignore" on Google no longer displays a snippet with a definition, and instead offers an AI Overview and a lot of blank space. Because users have complained about the issue on social media, and publications like TechCrunch and Macrumors have reported on it, even if you don't get a definition, you might still get a collection of links to articles documenting the issue before the traditional list of links. Multiple members of Engadget's staff were able to recreate the strange AI Overview responses with their own personal Google searches. In Incognito Mode, Google responded correctly once by displaying its usual snippet with the definition, and failed a second time by once again responding with an AI Overview. Links to online dictionaries still appear under these incorrect results, but you have to scroll past an AI Overview or a grid of articles to actually get to them. Ian Carlos Campbell for Engadget Engadget has contacted Google for more information about this issue and its attempts to fix it. We'll update this article if we hear back .

What to Watch

AI outlook — possibilities, not facts

  • Google will release a fix for the AI Overview bug.

    Very likely · Within days

Open Questions

  • What is the root cause of the blank AI Overview responses?
  • When will Google release a fix for this issue?
  • How widespread is this problem across different keywords and user searches?
  • Will this issue affect other AI features or search functionalities?

Related Topics

This article was originally published by Engadget.

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