DuckDuckGo says it experienced a significant spike in users following Google’s announcement of a sweeping AI-powered overhaul of Search at Google I/O 2026.
According to figures shared by the privacy-focused search company, installs and visits increased sharply in the six days after Google introduced its new AI Search platform on May 19, with the strongest growth tied to DuckDuckGo’s AI-disabled search option.
The company says US installs rose an average of 18.1% week over week between May 20 and May 25, compared with the previous six-day period, with growth sustained across six consecutive days. The largest spike occurred on May 25, when installs climbed 30.5% above the prior week’s levels.
DuckDuckGo reported particularly strong momentum on iOS, where US installs averaged 33% week-over-week growth and peaked at nearly 70% on May 25.
At the same time, traffic to noai.duckduckgo.com, a dedicated version of DuckDuckGo Search where all AI features are disabled by default, rose by an average of 22.7%, peaking at 27.7% on May 24.
The company said US growth significantly outpaced international usage increases, which DuckDuckGo believes indicates a direct reaction to Google’s largely US-focused I/O announcements rather than a broader seasonal trend. DuckDuckGo also noted that the surge continued through Memorial Day weekend, a period when search activity typically declines.
Google forces AI on users
During Google I/O 2026, Google announced a broad shift toward AI-native search experiences powered by Gemini 3.5 Flash, including conversational search interactions, AI-generated interfaces, autonomous “Search agents,” agentic coding features, and deeper integration with personal data sources such as Gmail, Photos, and Calendar.
Google described the redesign as “the biggest upgrade” to Search in more than 25 years, with AI becoming deeply integrated into how users ask questions, browse information, and complete tasks.
However, the rollout has already generated criticism online, with users across social media and forums reporting inconsistent answers, irrelevant results, and confusion over the increasingly AI-driven interface. Some users have also raised concerns about accuracy, information sourcing, and the growing difficulty of accessing traditional web links without AI-generated summaries dominating results pages.
DuckDuckGo has leaned heavily into that backlash.
“Google is force-feeding AI with no way to opt out,” DuckDuckGo founder and CEO Gabriel Weinberg said in a statement shared with the media. “As a result, their results are getting worse, not better. We want to be the place that puts users in charge and allows them to decide how much or how little AI they want.”
DuckDuckGo itself has introduced several AI-powered search features over the past year, including “Search Assist” AI-generated summaries, the Duck.AI chatbot platform, and an AI image filter designed to remove AI-generated images from search results.
The company says the difference is that all of its AI features are optional and can be disabled entirely.
Kamyl Bazbaz, DuckDuckGo’s Chief Communications and Policy Officer, said users appear to want flexibility rather than a fully AI-driven search experience.
“One of the most popular search features we’ve launched in years is a filter that removes AI images from image results,” Bazbaz said. “The other most popular feature? Search Assist, which uses AI to anonymously generate answers to search queries at the top of the search page. People just want a choice.”
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