source: techcrunch ai: duckduckgo installs are up 30% as users reject being ‘force-fed’ google’s ai search
level: business
duckduckgo reported a 30.5% peak increase in u.s. app installs on may 25, following google's announcement that its search results would be replaced by an ai agent. the privacy-focused search engine saw sustained week-over-week growth averaging 18.1% from may 20 to may 25, with ios installs averaging 33% higher. visits to its ai-free search page, noai.duckduckgo.com, also rose, peaking at 27.7% growth on may 24.
google's changes at its i/o conference removed the traditional list of links in favor of ai-generated answers and background agents, sparking backlash over accuracy, control, and the impact on the open web. duckduckgo ceo gabriel weinberg criticized google for force-feeding ai without an opt-out, positioning his company as a user-controlled alternative. duckduckgo offers its own ai features, including duck.ai with private access to models like claude and gpt-5 mini, but allows users to disable them.
the trend was strongest in the u.s. and continued through memorial day weekend, a period when traffic typically dips. duckduckgo's chief communications officer noted that both ai-assisted and ai-free features are popular, emphasizing user choice. the company strips ip addresses, deletes chats within 30 days, and prevents data from being used for training, appealing to privacy-conscious users.
why it matters: the shift shows user demand for control over ai in search tools, which could influence how data science teams design user-facing ai features.
source: techcrunch ai: duckduckgo installs are up 30% as users reject being ‘force-fed’ google’s ai search