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Google Search Shows Blank AI Overviews After Update

5/24/2026

Summary

Google AI Glitch

Google Search displayed a blank AI Overview for “disregard,” “ignore,” “dismiss,” “stop,” and “start” on May 22, 2026.
The glitch followed AI-focused updates announced at Google I/O on May 19, 2026 that added “AI Mode.”
Google is fixing the error, which appears on desktop and mobile with a larger white space on desktop.
DuckDuckGo, Kagi, and Bing still return correct definitions for the same terms.

Summary

Google AI Glitch

Google’s AI Overview glitch removes pronunciation guides and etymology from the dictionary box in search results.
The glitch has boosted traffic to Merriam-Webster’s site as users scroll past the faulty overview to find standard definitions.
In Incognito mode the search sometimes returns the correct definition snippet, showing inconsistent performance across browsing sessions.
The AI Overview now generates meanings internally, ending the long-standing practice of pulling definitions from established dictionary databases.

History

Historical Context

In May 2012 Google unveiled the Knowledge Graph, a semantic database that soon covered 570 million entities and 18 billion facts, later expanding to 70 billion facts by 2016 and answering roughly one-third of its 100 billion monthly searches. Building on that infrastructure, Google introduced AI Overviews in May 2024, generating definitions internally and pushing traditional sources such as Merriam-Webster and Wikipedia out of millions of queries.

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Google AI Glitch

Google Search displayed a blank AI Overview for “disregard,” “ignore,” “dismiss,” “stop,” and “start” on May 22, 2026.
The glitch followed AI-focused updates announced at Google I/O on May 19, 2026 that added “AI Mode.”
Google is fixing the error, which appears on desktop and mobile with a larger white space on desktop.
DuckDuckGo, Kagi, and Bing still return correct definitions for the same terms.

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