Following Google’s recent announcement regarding a significant overhaul of Search, a woman was overheard expressing her decision to switch to DuckDuckGo, highlighting the option to “opt out of using AI.”
“Google just isn’t Google anymore,” she remarked, a sentiment echoed by many.
During its annual developer conference, I/O, Google revealed plans to evolve its search box into a conversational interface capable of handling longer inquiries, predicting user needs, and assisting with autocomplete functions. Instead of merely producing a list of links, the platform will utilize AI Overviews to provide direct answers, enhancing the user experience. Additionally, a newly introduced AI Mode will permit users to ask follow-up questions seamlessly within these AI Overviews.
Despite a spokesperson asserting that AI Overviews have been in operation for two years and that AI Mode isn’t the default setting, public response has been notably negative.
Critics argue that this change could threaten the open web, with others expressing concerns about the potential inaccuracies of AI-generated responses and the diminishing control for users who prefer traditional search methods. The situation becomes even more complex when simply searching for the term “disregard.”
In response to these developments, many users are opting for DuckDuckGo, a privacy-centric search engine that has struggled to compete with Google’s market share, comprising only about 2% of the U.S. search market.
During the 2023 search antitrust trial, DuckDuckGo’s CEO, Gabriel Weinberg, testified that Google’s exclusive contracts hindered its efforts to establish itself as the default on other browsers.
“Google is force-feeding AI with no way to opt out,” Weinberg stated, referencing the recent changes. “Consequently, the results are deteriorating, not improving. Our goal is to empower users to dictate their engagement with AI.”
This shift appears to be working in DuckDuckGo’s favor as users seek alternatives to AI-enhanced search.
DuckDuckGo reported an 18.1% increase in U.S. app installations during the period from May 20 to May 25 compared to the preceding week. This growth continued for six days and peaked at 30.5% on May 25. The uptick was even more pronounced on iOS, with a 33% week-over-week increase, peaking at 69.9%.
The search engine also noted that its AI-free search page, noai.duckduckgo.com, experienced an average growth of 22.7% week-over-week, peaking at 27.7% on May 24. This dedicated page disables all AI features, including AI-assisted responses and generated images by default. (A Google representative pointed out that Google does offer a filter for users who prefer traditional search results.)
DuckDuckGo indicated that this trend is particularly strong in the U.S. and that user growth continued even over the Memorial Day weekend, typically a time of reduced traffic.
Some of this growth is validated by external sources. App analytics firm Apptopia recorded a 29% rise in daily downloads within the U.S. and a 12% increase globally during the same timeframe.
DuckDuckGo also features its own AI service named Duck.ai. This free tool, which doesn’t require user accounts, offers access to various models such as Anthropic’s Claude 4.5 Haiku and OpenAI’s GPT-5 mini. All interactions are kept private, as DuckDuckGo removes user IP addresses and deletes conversations after 30 days, ensuring no data is used for model training.
“We prioritize both user choice and privacy,” Weinberg emphasized. “All actions within DuckDuckGo remain confidential; we do not track search histories or conversations, nor do we employ them in AI training.”
The search engine also includes Search Assist, akin to Google’s AI overviews, and an AI Image Filter that excludes AI-generated images from search results.
Kamyl Bazbaz, DuckDuckGo’s chief communications and policy officer, highlighted that both AI features, despite their different foundational philosophies, are among the company’s most sought-after offerings.
“People simply want a choice,” Bazbaz stated.
A representative from Google directed ToolsMixAi to a recent blog post by VP of search Elizabeth Reid, which asserted that AI Mode has surpassed one billion monthly users, with query volumes doubling each quarter since its launch.
This article has been updated with analytics from Apptopia and comment from Google. An earlier version of this article misstated Google’s search overhaul.
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