DuckDuckGo gains from AI search backlash

Traffic to DuckDuckGo’s AI-free search page has more than tripled after Google outlined a broader artificial intelligence overhaul of Search, signalling a sharp user reaction against answer-first search tools and strengthening the appeal of services that promise more control over automated summaries.

The privacy-focused search company said visits to its No AI page crossed three times their pre-announcement level after Google set out plans to expand AI-powered search features at its developer conference. The page, which operates separately from DuckDuckGo’s main search interface, turns off AI-assisted answers, removes Duck. ai chat tools and filters AI-generated images by default.

DuckDuckGo has promoted the page as an answer to users who want search results without generative responses placed above links. Its message has gained traction as Google pushes deeper into AI Mode, a search experience designed to handle longer questions, follow-up prompts, visual inputs and more complex tasks directly inside the search interface.

Google’s latest search changes were presented as a major shift in how users find information online. The company says AI Overviews and AI Mode can make search faster and more useful by combining query results, context and reasoning-style responses. Critics argue that the model risks weakening the open web by reducing clicks to publishers, complicating simple searches and giving users fewer visible pathways to the original material.

DuckDuckGo’s early figures show that the backlash is not limited to online commentary. US app installs rose by double digits in the days after Google’s announcements, with growth peaking at more than 30 per cent in one set of company figures. iOS installs climbed more sharply, touching nearly 70 per cent at their peak. Visits to the AI-free page also rose before the traffic later crossed the threefold mark.

The gains remain modest when measured against Google’s scale. Google continues to dominate the search market by a wide margin, while DuckDuckGo holds a small share in the United States and globally. Even so, the movement is notable because search habits are usually hard to change. Default placement on browsers and mobile devices has long helped Google retain users, while rivals have struggled to convert privacy concerns into sustained switching.

DuckDuckGo’s positioning combines two themes that have become more important in the search market: privacy and AI choice. The company says its standard search does not track users across the web, while its No AI page goes further by removing AI features from the search experience. Its broader service still includes optional AI tools, but the company has stressed that these are presented as user-controlled features rather than compulsory layers over search results.

That distinction has become commercially important as AI search changes the relationship between platforms, publishers and users. Research into AI Overviews has found that generative summaries can alter what users see, which sources gain visibility and how much traffic flows to outside websites. One study of AI Overviews reported activation across a large set of trending queries, while another found measurable declines in traffic to Wikipedia pages exposed to AI summaries.

Publishers have raised concerns that AI summaries may absorb the value of their reporting while reducing visits that support advertising and subscriptions. Search companies counter that AI-generated answers can improve discovery when they provide useful links and help users navigate complex questions. Google has also been adjusting how source material appears around AI results, including features intended to highlight original reporting and preferred sources.

For users, the dispute is more immediate. Some want concise AI answers for routine questions, while others prefer traditional lists of links that allow them to choose sources directly. DuckDuckGo’s spike suggests that a visible segment of users objects not simply to AI, but to AI becoming a default layer in services that previously felt more transparent.

The shift also places browser makers and search platforms under pressure to provide clearer controls. Google offers a web filter for users who want link-focused results, but critics say it does not amount to a full opt-out from the AI direction of Search. DuckDuckGo’s No AI extensions for Chrome and Firefox are designed to make its AI-free page the default option, giving users a more permanent route away from generative search results.