Google overdid it with AI: users flee to anonymous DuckDuckGo

Have you heard of DuckDuckGo? In short, it is a search engine that made complete anonymity its main feature. Unlike Google, it does not track your every move: it does not record your IP address, does not collect your search history, and does not serve ads based on what you searched for yesterday. 

And this modest search engine is experiencing a real popularity boom right now. 

The main page interface of the private search engine DuckDuckGo in Russian with a suggestion to install the browser

The reason for the sharp surge

The reason for the competitor's sudden popularity was Google itself. At its May technology conference Google I/O, the company announced the largest search overhaul in the last 25 years. They decided to forcefully implement AI into search results. Instead of the usual and convenient blue website links, users now see huge blocks with AI answers that are generated automatically. 

Google made this feature mandatory — you cannot just go and turn it off in the settings. People felt that a raw product, which also frequently makes mistakes, was being forced upon them, and they started looking for an alternative.

The numbers speak for themselves

As soon as the updated smart search from Google started working at full capacity, DuckDuckGo's download charts skyrocketed: 

• Overall surge. In just six days after the conference, the number of DuckDuckGo app installations grew by an average of 18.1%, and on the peak day (May 25), downloads jumped by 30.5% at once. 

• iPhone owners' rebellion. Apple users revolted the most. The weekly growth of app downloads on iOS in the US reached 33%, and at its peak, popularity jumped by a whopping 69.9%. 

People were changing the default search engine on their iPhones en masse. The growth turned out to be so powerful that it did not even slow down over the holiday weekend. Moreover, the spike occurred precisely in the US, where Google rolled out its AI search most actively.

Signature trolling and a secret link

DuckDuckGo CEO Gabriel Weinberg did not miss the chance to poke at the competitor. He straight up stated: «Google is forcefully feeding people AI, leaving them no choice. As a result, search outcomes are only getting worse. We, on the other hand, want to give users control so they can decide for themselves whether they need AI or not».

By the way, DuckDuckGo acted proactively. They have their own AI hints too, but unlike Google, they can be completely turned off in the settings. Moreover, they launched a separate secret address — noai.duckduckgo.com. This is an absolutely clean version of the search engine, where there is no mention of neural networks at all. Amid the scandal with Google, traffic to this page increased by almost 28%.

The search bar interface on the special site noai.duckduckgo.com with AI answers and neural network images disabled

Does DuckDuckGo stand a chance?

Of course, outplaying Google in the long run won't work for DuckDuckGo just yet. As of today, Google controls about 90% of the entire global search market. 

But this precedent showed the giants an important thing: users do not like it when their choice is taken away. Surveys by DuckDuckGo itself among 110,000 people showed that 93% of people do not want to see AI in their search queries at all. So the forced automation of the internet could very well turn into an outflow of the most loyal and thinking audience for major corporations.