No AI search traffic soars as users shun Google’s AI overhaul

In the wake of Google’s May 19 I/O rollout, the privacy‑first engine DuckDuckGo reported that its No AI search option has experienced a ↑ 3x surge in visits, with daily traffic consistently running ↑ 84% above the pre‑announcement baseline.

No AI search gains momentum

Users weary of the new AI‑driven search box—featuring chat‑style suggestions, follow‑up queries and tighter integration with Gmail and Photos—have gravitated toward DuckDuckGo’s stripped‑down experience, which omits AI‑generated answers, chat windows and most synthetic images.

“People want a clean, predictable search result set,” a DuckDuckGo spokesperson told MacRumors.

To capitalize on the trend, DuckDuckGo rolled out browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox that automatically set the No AI search page as the default. An Edge and Opera version is slated for release later this quarter.

The engine’s own AI tools remain available, but are disabled for those who opt into the No AI mode, preserving the brand’s privacy promise.

Competing services such as the subscription‑based Kagi also limit AI content unless users explicitly enable it; Kagi charges $5 /month for a capped quota or $10 /month for unlimited queries, and operates without ads or data brokerage.

Analysts note that the shift mirrors broader consumer fatigue after the pandemic‑era surge in AI experimentation, a sentiment echoed across multiple tech forums.

Dispatch from: Julian Reed

Consumer Electronics Expert