TechCrunch: Google Docs now ships Gemini AI on by default

What happened

TechCrunch published a how-to guide on June 18, 2026, explaining how to turn off AI features in Google Docs. The existence of a guide like this is the story: it signals that Gemini AI assistance has become the default experience in Google Docs rather than an optional feature users opt into.

Context

Google has been adding Gemini features to Workspace applications throughout 2025 and 2026. In Docs, the integration now includes a “write with Gemini” prompt box that appears when users open a document, a persistent bottom bar showing AI suggestions, and a “help me write” feature that hovers near the cursor during editing. These features appear automatically for users on Workspace plans without requiring any setup.

The guide’s author, Amanda Silberling, describes the default AI display as disruptive to the writing process and notes user resistance to having AI assistance present and visible during drafting. Turning the features off requires going into Docs settings and disabling them manually.

Why it matters for writers

For writers and editors who use Google Docs professionally, the shift to AI-on-by-default changes what the tool is. The working assumption that opening a document means starting with a blank, unmediated surface no longer holds. AI features must now be actively turned off to restore that experience.

The pattern is also notable as a signal of where Google is heading with Workspace. Features that were opt-in experiments in 2025 have become default settings in 2026. Teams that have not yet established guidelines about when and how to use AI assistance in their writing tools may find themselves in a position where the tools have already made that decision for them.

For newsrooms and editorial teams with specific AI policies, the default-on approach in widely used tools like Google Docs adds a new item to the operational checklist: audit which AI features are active in the tools your writers use and document what your team’s actual settings are.