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These ducks look tough. Search engine and web browser developer Duck, duck, go Google said this week that it is getting a large number of new customers, and this increase coincides with the Google I/O developer conference.
DuckDuckGo told CNET that in the US, it saw its browser installs increase 21% from May 20 to May 26 — including a 37% spike on Tuesday — compared to May 13 through May 19. Browser installs on iOS rose 33%, including 69% on Memorial Day.
Why the jump? Google held its I/O conference from May 19-20 Announced a range of artificial intelligence initiatives. One such initiative was an expanded AI-based search interface that can provide expanded answers to longer queries. People can also drop videos, photos, and files into the search box to perform a “multi-media” search.
Beyond installs, DuckDuckGo told CNET there was a 500% increase in mentions of its company across all social media platforms, including TikTok, Instagram, Reddit, X and others.
DuckDuckGo founder and CEO Gabriel Weinberg said in a statement that Google is “force-feeding AI with no way to opt out” and noted a report Which suggests that Google searches are getting worse.
“We want to be the place that puts users in charge and allows them to decide how much or how much AI they want,” Weinberg said.
A Google representative did not respond to a request for comment.
Read more: Google I/O left me scratching my head: Who benefits from all this AI?
Google doesn’t have an official, publicized way to turn off AI-powered search results, but CNET’s Nelson Aguilar has an “easy workaround” to get old Google Search back. Which is detailed here.
DuckDuckGo offers flexibility in how much AI agents will receive. The browser has Search help function It uses artificial intelligence to help answer search queries, and users can specify how many times they want it to appear, including “never.”
DuckDuckGo customers can let AI help with their searches.
You can also use AI for free noai.duckduckgo.com Search, which does not contain AI-powered answers or AI-generated images. The company said that this page witnessed a 23% increase in searches during the period from May 20 to May 25 compared to the period from May 13 to May 18.
“People just want choice,” said Camille Bazbaz, chief communications and policy officer at DuckDuckGo.
DuckDuckGo has a chatbot feature, Duck.aiwhich allows people to choose from models from OpenAI, Anthropic, and others. The browser also features an Ask AI button to the right of the search bar, which you can use to get AI-generated answers. Weinberg said it does not collect search or chat logs and that “nothing is used to train the AI.”
User privacy was how DuckDuckGo marketed itself when it launched in 2008. The Pennsylvania-based company doesn’t track customer data, log search histories or log IP addresses, allowing customers to avoid being targeted with ads based on their browsing patterns.
Cloudflare, a cloud networking and cybersecurity company, said DuckDuckGo was the second most used search engine on mobile and No. 3 overall in the United States in December 2025.
