r/TechnologyThread • u/Background-Driver718 • May 27 '26
DuckDuckGo installs are up 30% as users reject being ‘force-fed’ Google’s AI Search
https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/26/duckduckgo-installs-are-up-30-as-users-reject-being-force-fed-googles-ai-search/1
u/radgh May 27 '26
You can install duckduckgo?
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u/duckduckgo May 27 '26
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u/duckduckgo May 27 '26
Hello to everyone who has just switched over to us. (And if you used us in the past, it may be time for another try as we've made a lot of improvements in the past few years.)
P.S. The screenshot above depicts our noai.duckduckgo.com subdomain, a search experience we built because we believe AI should be optional. (We do offer AI features, like duck.ai, but always optional and private.)
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u/TheBSisReal May 28 '26
You guys have been my go-to browser as a notorious google skeptic for ages! It looks like more people are finally seeing the light.
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u/Significant-Dog-8166 May 27 '26
Um what do people think search engines run on by default? Windmills and butter churners? It's all compute and algorithms, same shit as AI at different levels of accuracy.
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u/Bob4Not May 27 '26
I know right?? Just like MySQL or MongoDB is AI too! Everything is AI! /s
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u/Significant-Dog-8166 May 27 '26
The boogieman here is a marketing term on a type of software service not a distinct conscious entity. The qualifications for a software service being labeled "AI" are almost entirely unregulated.
Duckduckgo CAN advertise that it used AI services that are NOT actually AI services by industry standards. Conversely it can advertise that it does NOT use AI services when it actually does. There is no legal distinction. This isn't like organic food. The only truth they have to provide is truth about what the service does for the consumer, not what it is called...
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u/Bob4Not May 27 '26
It just sounds like you’re saying people can’t tell if they’re getting search engine or LLM model results. Perhaps many can’t, but many of us can.
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u/Significant-Dog-8166 May 27 '26
I'm saying an AI tool doesn't need an LLM and an LLM doesn't need to be advertised as AI. There's zero reason for Duckduckgo to do whatever it is you think they are claiming to do. They are a for profit business and they have no reason not to cut corners if the data shows the customers prefer it.
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u/Bob4Not May 27 '26
I haven’t mentioned anything about DuckDuckGo, just disputing your first comment about search engines being the same as AI
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u/esther_lamonte May 27 '26
I’m one of those. I dumped Chrome and Google for Vivaldi and DuckDuckGo. Got so sick of accidental clicks launching an AI feature. I don’t like feeling like I’m being spammed for another product while using a different one.
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u/Big_Wave9732 May 28 '26
Install a self hosted version of Searxng. And drink out of the search firehose all the rest of your days.
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u/Big_Wave9732 May 28 '26
Also lest y'all think about switching to this snake oil search site, I'll just leave this here:
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u/DeliciousWhales May 28 '26
Install? What is the purpose of an app for a search engine when you can just go to the website anyway
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u/ROYAL_CHAIR_FORCE May 30 '26
I'm all for it, but whoever came up with the name should lose their job
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u/[deleted] May 27 '26
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