Last week, after Google announced its massive overhaul to Search, a woman was overheard on the phone declaring she was switching to DuckDuckGo because she could “opt out of using AI.” “Google just isn’t Google anymore,” she said. That sentiment appears to be widespread, as data now shows a significant surge in users migrating to the privacy-focused search engine.
At its annual I/O developer conference, Google revealed plans to transform its search box into a conversational engine. The new system expands for longer queries, anticipates user intent, and autocompletes searches with AI-generated answers. Instead of returning a list of links, Google AI Overviews now answer questions directly first. Additionally, Google introduced a more seamless AI Mode, allowing users to ask follow-up questions within the Overviews. While a Google spokesperson noted that AI Overviews have existed for two years and that AI Mode is not the default, the backlash has been sharp.
Critics argue that AI Overviews will kill the open web by reducing traffic to publishers. Others worry about inaccurate responses and the loss of user control. Simple searches, like looking up the word “disregard,” have become overcomplicated with AI-generated summaries. In response to these changes, many users are defecting to DuckDuckGo, which has historically struggled to gain more than 2% of the U.S. search market due to Google’s dominance and exclusive default search contracts. During the 2023 antitrust trial, DuckDuckGo CEO Gabriel Weinberg testified that such contracts harmed his company’s ability to pitch itself as a default on browsers.
DuckDuckGo’s Growth Surge
DuckDuckGo reported that U.S. app installs rose 18.1% week-over-week on average during the period from May 20 to May 25, compared to the previous week. The growth was sustained for six consecutive days and peaked at 30.5% on May 25. On iOS, the rate was even higher, with week-over-week growth averaging 33% and peaking at 69.9%. The search engine also noted a 22.7% average week-over-week increase in visits to its AI-free search page, noai.duckduckgo.com, which turns off all AI features by default. The trend was stronger in the U.S. and continued over the Memorial Day weekend, a period when DuckDuckGo usually sees a dip in traffic.
Third-party data supports these figures. App analytics company Apptopia found a 29% increase in average daily downloads in the U.S. and a 12% increase globally over the same period.
Weinberg’s Statement on Google’s AI Overhaul
Weinberg criticized Google’s approach, stating, “Google is force-feeding AI with no way to opt out. As a result, their results are getting worse, not better. We want to be the place that puts users in charge and allows them to decide how much or how little AI they want.” DuckDuckGo has long positioned itself as a privacy-first alternative, and the recent shift in user behavior appears to validate that strategy.
DuckDuckGo’s Own AI Offerings
Despite its anti-AI-forced stance, DuckDuckGo offers its own AI product called Duck.ai. The service is free, requires no account, and provides access to several models, including Anthropic’s Claude 4.5 Haiku, Meta’s Llama 4 Scout, Mistral’s Small 3 24B, and OpenAI’s GPT-5 mini. All chats are private: DuckDuckGo strips the user’s IP address before requests reach model providers, deletes conversations within 30 days, and prevents chats from being used for training. “Not only do we respect user choice, but also user privacy,” Weinberg said. “Everything you do in DuckDuckGo is private, we don’t collect search histories or chats and nothing is used for AI training.”
Additionally, DuckDuckGo offers Search Assist, similar to Google’s AI Overviews, and an AI Image Filter that removes AI-created images from search results. Kamyl Bazbaz, DuckDuckGo’s chief communications and policy officer, said these AI features are among the company’s most popular, despite the company’s differing ethos. “People just want a choice,” Bazbaz said.
Google’s Defense and Continued AI Push
A Google spokesperson pointed to a blog post by VP of Search Elizabeth Reid, in which she stated that a year after its debut, AI Mode has surpassed one billion monthly users, with queries more than doubling every quarter since launch. Google continues to argue that its AI enhancements improve search relevance and user experience, even as privacy advocates and competitors raise concerns.
The broader context involves ongoing debates about AI integration in everyday tools, the role of privacy-focused alternatives, and the impact of tech monopolies. DuckDuckGo’s recent growth signals a potential shift in user preferences, as more individuals seek control over their data and the algorithms that shape their online experiences. Whether this trend will last or just be a temporary spike remains to be seen, but the data suggests that the demand for non-AI, privacy-respecting search options is stronger than ever.
Source: TechCrunch News