DuckDuckGo's 'No AI' Search Page Traffic Triples After Google's AI Overhaul

Google used its I/O developer conference on May 19 to unveil what it called its biggest Search overhaul in more than 25 years. AI Mode took a more central spot in the interface, AI Overviews expanded to cover more types of queries, and the company added support for conversational, follow-up-style searches. It was, by the company's own description, the clearest signal yet that AI sits at the center of where search is headed.

DuckDuckGo wasn't far behind with a response of its own. Within two weeks, the company said, traffic to its "No AI" search page — an opt-in tool at noai.duckduckgo.com that turns off AI Answers, AI Images, AI-assisted search and AI Suggestions in favor of plain web links — had tripled. The increase began as soon as Google detailed its AI plans, DuckDuckGo said in a statement posted to its Bluesky account on May 30: "visits to our 'No AI' search page have tripled… and they're still rising."

CEO Gabriel Weinberg was more pointed in a separate statement that Tuesday, saying Google is "force-feeding AI with no way to opt out." He added that the company's search results have suffered as a result, and that DuckDuckGo wants users to decide for themselves how much AI shows up in their results.

The growth, according to DuckDuckGo's internal figures, didn't happen all at once. Weekly visits to the No AI page climbed an average of 22.7% between May 20 and May 25, then peaked at 27.7% on May 24 alone. Traffic crossed the threefold mark on May 28 — a new high, the company said — and has held roughly 84% above its pre-announcement baseline ever since.

App installs tell a similar story. DuckDuckGo reported that U.S. weekly install growth averaged 18.1% from May 20 to May 25, compared with the previous week, and peaked at 30.5% on May 25 alone. iOS installs climbed even faster, up 33% on average and as much as 69.9% that same day, which happened to fall over the Memorial Day weekend.

Media reports suggest some users preferred traditional blue-link results over AI-generated summaries, citing concerns about accuracy and a desire for more control over when AI appears in their results. Others simply said they didn't want AI involved in every search. TechCrunch, MacRumors and Tom's Guide were among the outlets that picked up the story as it spread.

Google has not addressed the criticism directly. A spokesperson pointed instead to comments from Elizabeth Reid, the company's vice president of Search, who said AI Mode has surpassed 1 billion monthly users, with query volume doubling every quarter.

None of this points to Google losing its hold on search. Google accounts for roughly 90% of the global search market, while DuckDuckGo's U.S. share sits at around 2%. A modest shift in absolute users can look like a much bigger swing in percentage terms when the starting base is this small.

DuckDuckGo says the surge hasn't slowed. Whether it marks a lasting shift in user habits or a short-lived reaction to a single announcement remains an open question — one neither company has addressed.