Google insists users love AI Search — DuckDuckGo's no-AI version sees 28% spike same week
TL;DR
Google's CEO claims «people love AI Mode». DuckDuckGo's no-AI search page noai.duckduckgo.com saw +22.7% weekly traffic the same week, with iOS App installs spiking 69.9% at peak.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai at Google I/O last week: «Everyone loves AI Mode. This is the biggest search upgrade we've ever shipped.» The market responded differently.
DuckDuckGo's no-AI search page noai.duckduckgo.com saw weekly average +22.7% visits May 20–25, peaking +27.7% on May 24. Mobile App: US Android weekly average +18.1% installs, peak 30.5%; iOS users much stronger: weekly average +33%, peak 69.9% — sustained for six days.
DuckDuckGo CEO Gabriel Weinberg pushed back: «Google force-feeds AI with no opt-out, and the search results get worse. We want to be the place where you decide how much or how little AI you get.» CCO Kamyl Bazbaz simpler: «Users just want choice.»
But Google's empire isn't shaken. DuckDuckGo holds ~2% of US search; Google holds ~85%. Google Q1 2026 search ad revenue +19% YoY, officially credited to AI Mode and AI Overviews.
One angle worth noting: DuckDuckGo itself has AI products — duck.ai offers private chats with models including GPT-5 mini and Claude Haiku. It's not anti-AI; it's anti-coercion.
via PC Gamer
DuckDuckGo's no-AI search page noai.duckduckgo.com saw weekly average +22.7% visits May 20–25, peaking +27.7% on May 24. Mobile App: US Android weekly average +18.1% installs, peak 30.5%; iOS users much stronger: weekly average +33%, peak 69.9% — sustained for six days.
DuckDuckGo CEO Gabriel Weinberg pushed back: «Google force-feeds AI with no opt-out, and the search results get worse. We want to be the place where you decide how much or how little AI you get.» CCO Kamyl Bazbaz simpler: «Users just want choice.»
But Google's empire isn't shaken. DuckDuckGo holds ~2% of US search; Google holds ~85%. Google Q1 2026 search ad revenue +19% YoY, officially credited to AI Mode and AI Overviews.
One angle worth noting: DuckDuckGo itself has AI products — duck.ai offers private chats with models including GPT-5 mini and Claude Haiku. It's not anti-AI; it's anti-coercion.
via PC Gamer
