DuckDuckGo has posted a notable traffic and install increase after Google announced an AI-first revamp of Search. According to TechCrunch, visits to DuckDuckGo’s AI-free search page averaged roughly 84% above baseline and were up nearly 30% week-over-week, while U.S. app installs rose 18.1% week-over-week with U.S. iOS installs peaking at 69.9% week-over-week. The company has published a dedicated AI-free page at noai.duckduckgo.com and launched Chrome and Firefox extensions that set its AI-free experience as the default, TechCrunch reports. Reporting by The Next Web and Futurism notes DuckDuckGo also operates an AI product, duck.ai, and CEO Gabriel Weinberg is quoted criticizing Google’s approach: “Google is force-feeding AI with no way to opt out.” Industry context: the surge reflects user pushback to mandatory AI defaults and has practical implications for search traffic, discoverability, and SEO.
