Following Google's significant overhaul to its Search platform, which introduces an AI agent to answer queries, execute tasks, and run background monitoring, a notable backlash has emerged, prompting some users to seek alternatives. The traditional list of blue links is being replaced, leading to concerns that this shift could harm the open web, surface inaccurate responses, and diminish user control, particularly for those who prefer to avoid AI interaction. Critics also argue that the new system overcomplicates simple search queries.

In response to these changes, many users are defecting to DuckDuckGo, a privacy-focused search engine that historically held a modest 2% share of the U.S. search market. Gabriel Weinberg, CEO of DuckDuckGo, has vocalized strong opposition to Google's approach, stating that Google is "force-feeding AI with no way to opt out" and that this is degrading search results. DuckDuckGo positions itself as a platform that empowers users with choice regarding AI integration.

This consumer flight from AI-centric search has directly benefited DuckDuckGo. The company reported a significant increase in U.S. app installs, averaging 18.1% week-over-week during the May 20-25 period, compared to May 13-18. This growth was sustained for six consecutive days, peaking at 30.5% on May 25. On iOS, the installation rate was even more pronounced, with an average week-over-week growth of 33%, and a peak of 69.9%. DuckDuckGo also observed an average 22.7% week-over-week increase in visits to its AI-free search page, noai.duckduckgo.com, which reached a peak of 27.7% on May 24. This dedicated page disables all AI features, including AI-assisted answers and AI-generated images, by default. The company noted that these trends are stronger in the U.S. and that user acquisition continued even over the Memorial Day weekend, a period when traffic typically dips.

Despite offering an AI-free option, DuckDuckGo also provides its own AI product called Duck.ai. This service is free, requires no account, and offers access to various models such as Anthropic’s Claude 4.5 Haiku, Meta’s Llama 4 Scout, Mistral’s Small 3 24B, and OpenAI’s GPT-5 mini. DuckDuckGo prioritizes user privacy with Duck.ai by stripping users' IP addresses before requests reach model providers, deleting conversations within 30 days, and preventing chats from being used for training purposes. Weinberg reiterated the company's commitment to privacy, stating, "Everything you do in DuckDuckGo is private, we don’t collect search histories or chats and nothing is used for AI training."

Furthermore, DuckDuckGo offers other AI-powered features like Search Assist, which functions similarly to Google’s AI overviews, and an AI Image Filter designed to exclude AI-created images from search results. Kamyl Bazbaz, DuckDuckGo’s chief communications and policy officer, highlighted that these AI features are among the company's most popular, emphasizing that consumers ultimately desire choice in how they interact with technology.