- Traffic to DuckDuckGo‘s AI-free search page tripled immediately after Google‘s I/O announcement and has remained 84% above baseline.
- The privacy-focused company launched “No-AI Search” browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox on June 1, letting users block all AI features with one click.
- U.S. app installs saw a significant spike, with iOS installs peaking at a 69.9% increase in a single day, according to TechCrunch.
- Other browsers like Brave and Mozilla Firefox are also catering to users seeking less AI-integrated experiences.
Following Google‘s announcement of a major AI-centric search overhaul at I/O in May 2026, a surge of users fled to DuckDuckGo‘s alternative. Consequently, visits to the company’s dedicated noai.duckduckgo.com subdomain tripled, establishing a new record. The search engine responded by launching its “No-AI Search” extensions for Chrome and Firefox on June 1.
These extensions allow users to set the AI-free page as their permanent default search engine with a single click. They block AI-generated image results, AI Assist summaries, and all other AI features DuckDuckGo has added. CEO Gabriel Weinberg criticized Google’s approach, stating, “Google is force-feeding AI with no way to opt out. As a result, their results are getting worse, not better,” in an interview with Paul Therrot.
Meanwhile, this consumer pushback is not isolated to search engines. Brave launched Brave Origin, a stripped-down version of its browser without AI or crypto features, for a one-time fee. Similarly, Mozilla‘s upcoming Firefox redesign, Project Nova, will include a single toggle to disable all AI features. However, DuckDuckGo itself maintains a nuanced stance, still offering its Duck.ai private chatbot service.
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