DuckDuckGo launches no-AI search extensions after users reject Google's AI-first Search

Google rolled out its largest Search update in 25 years at its I/O developer conference last month, swapping traditional link-based results for AI-generated overviews, conversational follow-ups, and a default AI Mode. However, a significant number of users have pushed back against the AI-heavy direction and, in the process, many have ended up at DuckDuckGo.

Traffic to DuckDuckGo's No AI search page tripled after Google's announcement and has continued to surge. Daily visits have averaged about 84% above baseline, peaking on May 28 at a new traffic record. US app installs were up 18.1% week over week during the May 20 to May 25 period, with iOS installs peaking at 69.9% week-over-week growth. Third-party analytics firm Apptopia backed up the numbers, reporting a 29% increase in average daily US downloads over the same stretch.

"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," said DuckDuckGo CEO Gabriel Weinberg. Chief communications officer Kamyl Bazbaz put it even more simply: "People just want a choice."

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To keep the momentum going, the company has now launched new browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox that let users set its AI-free search page, noai.duckduckgo.com, as their default search engine. Once enabled, users are directed to a search experience with no AI-assisted answers, no chat prompts, and fewer AI-generated images.

For mobile users, switching off AI in the DuckDuckGo app takes about thirty seconds. Open the app, tap the menu, go to Settings, scroll to Other Settings, and tap AI Features. From there, the Duck.ai chatbot can be disabled entirely, and the app can be set to open with a plain search interface by default every time.

It is worth noting that DuckDuckGo is not positioning itself as an anti-AI company. It still runs its own AI chatbot, Duck.ai, which offers access to models including Claude, Llama, Mistral, and GPT-5 mini, all without storing search histories or using conversations for training. The key difference is that, unlike Google's approach, none of it is forced on the user.