DuckDuckGo is seeing a surge in new users after Google moved to make AI-generated answers the centerpiece of its search experience, exposing a growing rift over how much automation people actually want in everyday web searches.
Timeline of the AI search shake-up
At Google I/O last week, the company unveiled a sweeping overhaul to Search, shifting from familiar “blue links” toward an AI agent that answers queries, executes tasks, and runs background monitoring agents.1 The move was framed by Google as the next evolution of search but quickly triggered public backlash, with critics warning it could “kill the open web” and reduce user control.1
In the days that followed, users began looking for alternatives. One TechCrunch report noted that “DuckDuckGo installs are up 30% as users reject being ‘force-fed’ Google’s AI Search.”1 DuckDuckGo, long positioned as a privacy-focused underdog with only around 2% of the U.S. search market, suddenly found new momentum.1
DuckDuckGo’s response and user migration
DuckDuckGo says U.S. app installs rose 18.1% week over week on average between May 20 and May 25, peaking at 30.5% on May 25.1 On iOS specifically, installs climbed even faster, with average week-over-week growth of 33% in the US and a peak of 69.9%.12
The company also reported strong interest in its AI-free experience: visits to its “No AI” search page (noai.duckduckgo.com), which switches off AI-assisted answers and AI-generated images by default, grew an average of 22.7% week over week, peaking at 27.7%.12
Competing visions of search
DuckDuckGo CEO Gabriel Weinberg sharply criticized Google’s redesign, saying “Google is force-feeding AI with no way to opt out” and arguing that “their results are getting worse, not better.”1 He positioned DuckDuckGo as “the place that puts users in charge and allows them to decide how much or how little AI they want.”1
Coverage in The Verge underscored the public mood, bluntly summarizing that “People sure do hate Google’s AI Search updates,” while highlighting DuckDuckGo’s 33 percent average iOS install jump and rising traffic to its No AI page.2
As Google bets heavily on AI-first search, the backlash is giving DuckDuckGo a rare opening to grow by offering something increasingly scarce in mainstream search: the option to turn AI off.