Last week, after Google announced its sweeping overhaul of Search, a woman was overheard on the phone saying she was switching to DuckDuckGo because you can “opt out of using AI.” “Google just isn’t Google anymore,” she remarked. It turns out many others shared the same sentiment.

At Google I/O, the company’s annual developer conference, Google revealed it would transform its search box into a conversational engine. This new design expands for longer queries, anticipates user intent, and autocompletes searches. Rather than merely returning a list of links, it uses AI Overviews to answer questions directly first. Google also introduced a more seamless AI Mode, allowing users to ask follow-up questions within AI Overviews.

Although a Google spokesperson noted that AI Overviews have been around for two years and AI Mode is not the default, the backlash has been substantial. Critics argue that AI Overviews will kill the open web, surface inaccurate responses, and take away control from users who might not want to use AI. It also overcomplicates simple queries—trying to Google the word “disregard” illustrates the problem.

Users flock to DuckDuckGo

In response to Google’s changes, many users have started defecting to DuckDuckGo, a privacy-focused alternative that has historically struggled to break past Google’s dominance, accounting for only around 2% of the U.S. search market. During Google’s search antitrust trial in 2023, DuckDuckGo CEO Gabriel Weinberg testified that Google’s exclusive default search contracts harmed DuckDuckGo’s ability to pitch itself as the default on other browsers.

“Google is force-feeding AI with no way to opt out,” Weinberg said in a statement. “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.” Now, it appears DuckDuckGo is benefiting from the consumer exodus from AI-heavy search.

DuckDuckGo reported that U.S. app installs increased 18.1% week-over-week on average during May 20–May 25, compared to May 13–May 18. The company said growth was sustained for six consecutive days, peaking at 30.5% on May 25. On iOS, the install rate was even higher, with week-over-week growth averaging 33% and peaking at 69.9%.

The search for AI-free alternatives

The search engine also noted that visits to its AI-free search page, noai.duckduckgo.com, averaged 22.7% week-over-week growth, peaking at 27.7% on May 24. This page turns off every AI feature—such as AI-assisted answers and AI-generated images—by default. (A spokesperson pointed out that Google offers a web filter for those who want only a list of blue links.)

DuckDuckGo indicated the trend is stronger in the U.S., and the company continued to gain users over Memorial Day weekend, a period when it typically sees a dip in traffic. Third-party data supports the trend: App analytics firm Apptopia found a 29% increase in average daily downloads in the U.S. and a 12% increase globally over the same period.

DuckDuckGo’s own AI products

Despite its stance against force-fed AI, DuckDuckGo offers its own AI product called Duck.ai. It is free and does not require users to create an account. It provides access to 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.” DuckDuckGo also 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, noted that both features are among the company’s most popular, despite the differing ethos. “People just want a choice,” Bazbaz said.

Historical context and market dynamics

DuckDuckGo was founded in 2008 by Gabriel Weinberg with a mission to provide a privacy-respecting search engine. It does not track users, store personal information, or create user profiles. Instead, it relies on a combination of its own crawler and partner sources (like Bing) to deliver results. Despite its privacy advantages, the search engine has long struggled to capture significant market share. Google’s dominance—over 90% of the global search market—is reinforced by default deals on browsers like Chrome, Safari, and Mozilla Firefox. The 2023 antitrust trial highlighted how these exclusive contracts prevented competitors like DuckDuckGo from becoming default options, limiting their growth.

The recent backlash against Google’s AI integration may provide a rare opening for DuckDuckGo. The company’s stated commitment to user choice and privacy resonates with a growing segment of internet users who are uncomfortable with AI-driven personalization. Moreover, DuckDuckGo’s transparency about its data policies—such as the absence of search history collection—directly contrasts with Google’s data-intensive model.

Industry analysts suggest that the surge in DuckDuckGo installs reflects broader unease with AI’s role in everyday digital services. While convenience is a powerful draw, many users value control and simplicity. Google’s AI Overviews, for instance, sometimes present incomplete or incorrect summaries, undermining trust. DuckDuckGo’s approach—offering AI features only when explicitly chosen—might appeal to those who want the best of both worlds.

Google’s response and future implications

A Google spokesperson pointed to a recent blog post by VP of Search Elizabeth Reid, stating that a year after its debut, AI Mode has surpassed one billion monthly users, with queries more than doubling every quarter since launch. The company emphasizes that users can opt out by using the web filter, though critics argue this is not a true opt-out from the overall search experience. As the search landscape evolves, the tension between AI innovation and user autonomy continues to intensify.

This article has been updated with analytics from Apptopia and comment from Google. The original version misstated the nature of Google’s search overhaul.

Source: TechCrunch News