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DuckDuckGo makes its 'no-AI' search engine easier to access as its traffic booms

techcrunch.com

June 1, 2026

2 min read

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62/100

Summary

DuckDuckGo has launched new browser extensions that allow users to set its no-AI search experience as the default search engine. The noai.duckduckgo.com page offers an AI-free search experience, excluding AI-assisted answers, chat prompts, and reducing AI images in results.

Key Takeaways

DuckDuckGo launched new browser extensions allowing users to set its no-AI search experience as the default search engine.
Traffic to DuckDuckGo's no-AI search page increased nearly 30% week-over-week, with U.S. app installs rising 18.1% week-over-week.
The company reported that visits to its no-AI search page reached a new high, averaging 84% above the baseline since Google's AI search announcement.
DuckDuckGo plans to update its Privacy Essentials extensions to include controls for AI search settings.

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Community Sentiment

Mixed

Positives

DuckDuckGo's focus on a no-AI search engine caters to users who prefer traditional search results, potentially appealing to a growing audience wary of AI-generated content.
The increase in traffic to DuckDuckGo's no-AI subdomain suggests a demand for alternatives to AI-driven search engines, indicating a shift in user preferences.

Concerns

The claim of being a 'no-AI' search engine is undermined by the presence of AI-generated summaries, raising trust issues among users who value transparency.
Many users find DuckDuckGo's AI capabilities inferior to Google's, suggesting that the platform may struggle to compete in an AI-driven market.