People Are Flocking to DuckDuckGo as Google Leans Heavily Into AI

DuckDuckGo said U.S. browser installs rose 21% from May 20–26, with some days seeing bigger spikes.

The company also saw social mentions jump 500% and increased use of its no-AI search page.

DuckDuckGo linked the surge to Google’s I/O announcements about more AI in Search.

The trend suggests some users are turning to privacy-focused alternatives that let them limit or avoid AI search features.