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At I/O last week, Google announced its biggest Search upgrade in 25 years, but few seem impressed by its new AI features. Since the event, users have been flocking to DuckDuckGo, a rival search engine that lets them disable AI features altogether.
"People aren’t just complaining about Google's AI search overhaul; they’re leaving," DuckDuckGo tweeted on Tuesday. "Yesterday alone, our week-over-week installs surged 30% in the US. Momentum is growing. It’s time to Fire Google."
According to data shared with Tom's Guide, DuckDuckGo’s app installs increased by an average of 18.1% week-over-week between May 20 and May 25 in the US. The installs were significantly higher on iOS devices, averaging 33% week-over-week with a peak of nearly 70% on May 25.
“Google is force-feeding AI with no way to opt out. As a result, their results are getting worse, not better,” DuckDuckGo founder and CEO Gabriel Weinberg tells Paul Thurrott. “We want to be the place that puts users in charge and allows them to decide how much or how little AI they want. That’s why we’re seeing a spike in people coming to DuckDuckGo this week.”
DuckDuckGo’s No AI website, which by design avoids AI features, has also seen a surge in visitors. Users increased by 22.7% week-on-week, with a peak growth of 27.7% observed on May 24.
DuckDuckGo does have its own AI features, such as a duck.ai chatbot for back-and-forth conversations and a Search Assistant for an AI Overviews-like summary for your search. However, you can easily disable them from the app or website’s settings. It also gives you the option to hide AI-generated images from search results.
Google, on the other hand, has been pushing down organic results and promoting AI Overviews and AI Mode in Search. In a survey published by DuckDuckGo earlier this year, 90% of respondents said they didn’t want AI in search.