DuckDuckGo expands no-AI search access as Google overhaul drives traffic surge
Week-on-week visits to DuckDuckGo’s no-AI page rose nearly 30%, with U.S. app installs climbing 18.1% following Google’s announcement of an AI-first search revamp.
DuckDuckGo has released new browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox, enabling users to designate its no-AI search page (noai.duckduckgo.com) as their default search engine. The extension is designed to strip AI-assisted answers, chat prompts, and AI-generated images from search results. This release coincides with a significant surge in traffic to DuckDuckGo’s no-AI platform, driven by user reaction to Google’s recent announcement of an AI-first overhaul of its search engine.
DuckDuckGo reports that web visits to its no-AI search page increased by nearly 30% week-on-week, with U.S. app installs rising by 18.1% week-on-week. U.S. iOS app installs peaked at a 69.9% week-on-week growth rate. Traffic to the no-AI page was recorded as three times higher than baseline on Thursday, 28 May 2026, following Google’s announcement. Visits are averaging roughly 84% above baseline, indicating a sustained shift rather than a temporary spike.
Google announced an AI-first revamp of its search engine at its developer conference in early May 2026, described as the biggest change to its search engine in over 25 years. The Google overhaul shifts focus from traditional "10 blue links" to AI-generated search overviews, which can include interactive visualizations, charts, and mini-apps. Follow-up questions in Google’s new interface push users into an AI Mode chat experience.
DuckDuckGo is not an anti-AI company; it offers its own AI chatbot with access to popular models and a subscription plan that includes AI tools, a VPN, identity theft restoration, and personal information removal services. However, the new extensions cater to users seeking to avoid AI-generated content in their daily searches. Other alternative search engines, such as Kagi, are also seeing increased interest from users seeking non-AI defaults.
DuckDuckGo plans to update its original 'DuckDuckGo Privacy Essentials' extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Opera to include controls for AI search settings. Users of the DuckDuckGo web browser already have their AI settings preserved, even after clearing browser history. The company states the extensions are intended to help people maintain a consistent AI-free search experience.
