en.Wedoany.com Reported - After Google announced it would replace traditional search links with AI-generated answers, privacy-focused search engine DuckDuckGo saw a significant increase in app installs in the United States. According to data from The Neuron, DuckDuckGo's US installs grew by an average of 18% week-over-week, peaking at 30% on Memorial Day; iPhone installs saw even sharper growth, averaging 33% and peaking at nearly 70% in a single day. During the same period, traffic to DuckDuckGo's AI-free search page (noai.duckduckgo.com) increased by 22.7%.

At last month's Google I/O conference, Google announced it would replace the traditional search box with an AI-powered conversational engine, first showcasing AI-generated answers with built-in follow-up questions, calling it "the biggest upgrade to search in 25 years." DuckDuckGo CEO Gabriel Weinberg bluntly stated that Google is forcing AI on users with no opt-out option, and that its search results are getting worse, not better. DuckDuckGo is not the only beneficiary; Brave Search and Kagi also saw traffic growth during the same period. Bing's global market share has grown from 2.8% in 2023 to nearly 5%, partly due to its Copilot integration.

Google holds about 90% of the global search market share. DuckDuckGo accounts for about 2% in the US, handling approximately 100 million to 145 million searches per day, compared to Google's 8.5 billion. A 70% surge in installs sends a strong signal within a smaller market share segment. Google did not directly respond to the criticism; a spokesperson cited comments from Search Vice President Elizabeth Reid in an I/O blog post, which stated that AI mode has 1 billion monthly active users and query volume doubles every quarter. Reid argued that this is not a forced transition but a user choice to opt into AI search, and that Google has provided a "Web" filter for users who want pure results without AI. DuckDuckGo itself also offers AI features, but users can choose to turn them off and access completely AI-free search results by visiting noai.duckduckgo.com.

The point of contention is not whether AI should exist in search, but who decides the extent of its use. Google's approach is determined by the platform, while DuckDuckGo leaves the choice to the user.

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