A May 22 report said Google's redesigned Search can place a large empty AI reply above traditional results: Typing

A May 22 report said Google’s redesigned Search can place a large empty AI reply above traditional results: Typing the single word “disregard” produces a blank AI block that hides the Merriam‑Webster link and other useful content.

On May 22 a report said Google this week deployed a redesigned Search that foregrounds AI-generated summaries, and that entering the single word “disregard” now produces a large, empty AI reply block that pushes conventional links down the page. The blank response appears prominently above the results, reducing immediate access to reference information for users seeking a simple definition.

In the example shown, the Merriam‑Webster dictionary listing still appears in the results but is relegated below the empty AI block, forcing users to scroll past a substantial blank area to reach it. The AI reply appears as a single response and-according to the piece — “serves no conceivable value” for someone looking up that one word, rendering the result effectively broken for that query.

The report contrasts this behavior with Bing, which has been less aggressive in inserting AI summaries; Bing’s result for the same query returned more directly useful information. Russell Brandom, who notes nearly 15 years as a tech journalist, said he could not recall a prior occasion when a Bing result felt more valuable than Google’s equivalent, underscoring how the example reversed typical expectations about the two services.

The episode highlights the edge cases that can surface as a major search product shifts to AI‑first presentations and has prompted criticism on social media. For straightforward lookups such as dictionary queries, the change can remove immediate access to reference answers and reduce the practical usefulness of a search result, creating friction for users who expect quick, direct information.