Google is bad but DuckDuckGo is not an anti-AI hero.

I know that I live in a bubble. We all do. I read my preferred news sources, peruse my select subreddits, follow people I trust on social media. When news of any kind reaches me, it is run through the lenses that I’ve already chosen. This is how the world is.

I begin by mentioning the bubbles we inhabit because lately I’ve been seeing a lot of praise for the company DuckDuckGo. I find this praise to be misplaced. Allow me to explain why.

But first, let’s talk about Google’s shenanigans so we can better understand DuckDuckGo’s position.

Perhaps you missed the news on this one. (If not, feel free to skim this part.)

This is why I mention the bubble I inhabit: I think about Google every day. I read other people’s opinions about Google every day. I think about my own opinions about Google every day. I am often reminded that most normal people don’t live this way. (See United States v. Google LLC v. Cracker Barrel for an example of this.)

The big thing Google did recently, according to their own words, is “a new, intelligent AI-powered Search box.” (Read their PR fluff on it here.)

There’s a chance you haven’t noticed these changes yet, either because you don’t google things often or because you don’t pay close attention to the experience while googling. Or maybe you don’t use Google and haven’t in a while. All are valid.

Personally, I have some skepticism about this, both as a user of Google and as someone whose career is continually influenced by whatever Google is doing. While I think AI can be a good search tool, the idea of AI entirely swallowing Google’s SERP feels more like a shareholder-appeasing move on Google’s part, rather than something its users genuinely want.

I also can’t imagine why anyone would ever want a chatbot to speak to them as if it’s a sentient entity.

Here’s the most irritating Google result I’ve gotten lately. I was trying to ensure I had the Mary Oliver quote correct, the one that goes: “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”

So I typed that quote into Google and got this bullshit:

Just now, like an idiot, I typed it in again to try to get the quote right and it gave me the same bullshit again:

Good thing I already have this Eric Andre gif conveniently saved on my desktop:

I have a deep disdain for any brand that uses the first-person singular. When an unconscious machine is trained to mimic humans with first-person singular, that’s bad. And when it uses first-person singular to play cute instead of answering the question, that’s a major problem.

If these machines are answer engines, as some people are suggesting we call them (instead of search engines) then why are their answers devolving from sometimes useful, sometimes spammy to pure cringe and no usefulness.

But yeah. Google is AI-first now. Which is apparently why people are switching to DuckDuckGo.

Here’s what bothers me about DuckDuckGo. This has bothered me for a while, even before the Google news. I’ve seen screenshots of DuckDuckGo’s search engine and PR moves floating around for months.

Here’s one:

This is from January 19, 2026. I found this screenshot via one of the anti-AI subreddits. It was for a public vote they ran, the result of which was overwhelmingly anti-AI, as seen here:

They ran this for 10 days, got a ton of votes, and ultimately decided that “AI is always optional with DuckDuckGo.”

Lately, they’ve continued to promote this stance and it seems to be working as a form of customer attraction. Here are some of the headlines DDG (some people call them that) has earned over the last week:

• Google’s AI-First Overhaul Annoys Users So Much They Are Actually Switching Search Engines: DuckDuckGO CEO says Google is “force-feeding” AI to users.

• Traffic to DuckDuckGo’s proudly ‘No AI’ search page has tripled since latest Google AI search update

• DuckDuckGo use triples after Google Search ‘force feeds’ AI to users

• DuckDuckGo Installs Spike as Google Moves to Replace Search With AI

All of these are great headlines for DuckDuckGo, although there are some irritating discrepancies and disconnects as you read through the coverage. Is DuckDuckGo gaining users? Installs? Are people switching to their browser or their search engine? Both? Are people liking it? Can we really claim their users are spiking based on installs?

Also, the word “tripled” in all of this really bothers me. Going from 1 to 3 is tripling. What are the real numbers?

But still, that’s not why I’m writing this.

DuckDuckGo has been using this current moment and overall anti-AI sentiment in their PR and social media efforts.

Here’s their latest post on LinkedIn:

They’re going all in on this thing. But wait, no. No they’re not. They’re going all in on publicizing their anti-AI approach. But let’s look a little more closely.

Note that all the publicity around DDG has been about their “No-AI” product. But their No-AI product doesn’t banish AI. DuckDuckGo’s “No-AI” just banishes the AI search results that DuckDuckGo is already serving.

They aren’t even trying to hide it. This is from the “DuckDuckGo No-AI Search” Chrome extension’s page in the Chrome Web Store:

At DuckDuckGo, we believe AI should be optional. That’s why we’ve created this extension, which sets your default search engine to DuckDuckGo, but to a version that doesn’t use AI tools.

Searching with the DuckDuckGo No-AI Search works the same as searching with DuckDuckGo Search, except AI-generated images are filtered out of image results by default, and all other AI features have been removed completely, all while delivering the trusted DuckDuckGo results you love.

Is this cool? Well, it’s cooler than what their competitors are doing. But if someone poisons the food they’re selling and then offers you a poison-free option, are they a hero?

This anti-AI push from DuckDuckGo could become genuinely cool if it became their main identity. Or even their default. But right now, the No-AI feature is an opt-in from DuckDuckGo, not an opt-out.

Take a look at their homepage:

You’ll see they’re still emphasizing what they’ve always emphasized: privacy. Duck.ai is in the top right corner. “Ask AI” is a default. You have to scour their homepage to find the No-AI option that they are making the cornerstone of their current PR efforts.

To be clear about this. Yes, if you haven’t opted out, go to DuckDuckGo right now and search for something. For example, the thing I like searching for any time I’m testing any search tool is “is james bond a codename.”

Here’s what DuckDuckGo shows me in its default mode:

Yes, that’s an AI search result at the top of the page. If a user of DuckDuckGo doesn’t like that, they’re going to have to click a bunch of buttons and install an app.

I’ll admit that I get why this is happening. Their marketing and comms teams realized they had an opportunity and the product itself hasn’t caught up. There’s presumably some kind of internal battle over there.

I’m sure DuckDuckGo has invested a lot into their AI search and now they’re trying to draw users in via their anti-AI search without losing their AI users (or AI engineers.)

I’m also excited about this overall. Google needs competition. I’d like to see its market share weaken further and I love the idea of a search engine that isn’t AI-first. But let’s wait until DuckDuckGo truly becomes opt-in-for-AI instead of opt-out-of-AI before we give it the crown.