Generative AI (genAI) is seemingly everywhere these days and Windows is certainly no exception.The OS itself now has Copilot on its taskbar, and new PCs ship with a dedicated Copilot AI key on their keyboards. Microsoft is adding more and more genAI features as time goes by and its increasingly hard to search the web without getting a genAI answer from Google and other search engines.Ive heard from people who love the technology, and Ive heard from people who cant stand it. Me, Im right here in the middle: I keep experimenting with it, but articles like this one are 100% written by a real-life human. Personally, I want to see genAI features when I choose certainly not all the time, everywhere on my computer.Plain and simple, you might occasionally use genAI tools to get work done, but that doesnt necessarily mean you want to be bombarded with it everywhere. Thats what these tips are all about: easy ways to eliminate the AI elements integrated throughout Windows and Chrome or whatever other web browser youre using. Its your computer, your workday, and your online experience.Time to take back control.Want more Windows PC tips? Sign up for my free Windows Intelligence newsletter. Plus, get free Windows Field Guide downloads as a bonus when you sign up!The Windows AI asteriskFirst, a quick bit of pertinent perspective: Despite all the hype, most Windows AI features arent actually doing anything in the background. They usually dont do anything at all, in fact, until you click a button to summon them.For example, the Microsoft Paint app has a built-in AI image generator tool. It does nothing whatsoever unless you open Paint and click the Image Creator button on the toolbar. Then, it will generate an image for you.If you dont want to use that image feature, just dont click that button. If you dont want to see the button, dont launch Microsoft Paint. Most genAI features in Windows are exactly like that so far.But there are some AI features that are getting awfully insistent. So lets get out the proverbial weedwhacker and trim them back.Windows AI elimination step #1: Start with GoogleMost genAI features lay low unless you go looking for them; Googles AI answers are an in-your-face exception. Youll often get answers written by Googles Gemini AI just when searching Google, whether you want them or not.There are many ways to avoid AI answers on Google. Heres a quick list:After searching for something on Google, click the Web category. Youll only see web links.Add the text -ai to any search to hide AI answers.Install the simple Hide Google AI Overviews Chrome extension to hide AI answers. This extension should work on other Chromium-based browsers like Edge, Brave, and Vivaldi. Its available for Firefox, too.You can also create a custom search engine in Chrome to default to Google web searches. Heres a guide to getting rid of Gemini with a custom search engine in Chrome on both computers running Google Chrome and Android phones.Windows AI elimination step #2: Hide CopilotMicrosofts Copilot AI chatbot app now comes pinned to the taskbar by default in both Windows 10 and Windows 11. Its just one click away.If you dont want it down there, getting rid of it is easy and the latest version of Copilot makes it even easier: Just right-click the Copilot taskbar icon and select Unpin from taskbar. Thats it.Copilot doesnt actually do anything until you open it and ask it a question, so it wont do anything on your PC as long as you leave it closed. You can also opt to completely uninstall it, though, if you like: Just open the Start menu, search for Copilot, then right-click the Copilot shortcut and select Uninstall.You can now unpin Copilot like any other app with just a right-click.Chris Hoffman, IDGWindows AI elimination step #3: Reclaim the Copilot keyAll on-screen implementations aside, many new laptops now come with an actual physical Copilot key on their keyboards. That key will launch Microsofts AI chatbot and its easy to accidentally tap. But you can stop it.To do so, open the Settings app on your Windows 11 PC, select Personalization, and then choose Text input. Scroll down to the Customize Copilot key on keyboard option. You can set it to Search to use it as a search key instead, similar to whats present on Chromebooks.(You can also make it launch a different app like the ChatGPT app, for example if youd prefer.)Windows lets you transform a Copilot key into a Search key in a few clicks.Chris Hoffman, IDGWindows AI elimination step #4: Tackle the toolbarIf you prefer using Microsofts web browser, youll notice it has a big Copilot AI chatbot icon right on its toolbar. You can get rid of that, too.To remove Copilot from Edges toolbar:Click the menu button at the top-right corner of the Edge browser window and select Settings.Click Copilot and sidebar in the left pane.Click the Copilot app under App and notification settings.Turn off the Show Copilot option.You can use Edge without the Copilot icon on your browsers toolbar.Chris Hoffman, IDGWindows AI elimination step #5. Total Recall removalWhile Ive mentioned that most AI features on Windows dont do anything unless you launch them, the one exception is the Windows Recall feature which runs in the background and saves snapshots of your PCs screen so you can search your PC usage later. Bear in mind, this is only on new Copilot+ PCs, and its disabled by default. Also: Your Recall data is never sent to Microsoft its processed entirely on your PC.At the moment (in January 2025), Recall is only available in Insider versions of Windows 11. Of course, it will almost certainly come to all Copilot+ PCs at some point this year.You can check whether the Recall feature is active on Windows 11 by opening the Settings app, selecting Privacy & security, and clicking Recall & snapshots under Windows permissions. From here, you can turn off Save snapshots if you dont want the AI-powered Recall feature capturing snapshots in the background.Dont see anything about Recall & snapshots in the Settings app? That means your Windows PC doesnt have Recall. Most Windows PCs dont!Recall only runs in the background if you choose to enable it.Chris Hoffman, IDGChoose your own AI adventureRemember: AI doesnt have to be all or nothing. You might prefer a traditional Google search experience and a Copilot-free Windows desktop, but you might still launch the ChatGPT app now and then or use whatever AI tools your workplace provides.The choice is yours and now, you know exactly how to make it happen.Lets stay in touch! Sign up for my free Windows Intelligence newsletter. Youll get three new things to try every Friday. Plus, Ill send you free in-depth Windows Field Guides as a special welcome bonus.