DuckDuckGo adds extensions to set AI‑free search default

The privacy-focused search engine DuckDuckGo has launched new browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox that allow users to set its "no-AI" search page as their default, a move that follows a significant surge in its traffic and app downloads after Google overhauled its core search product with artificial intelligence.

The extensions, released in early June 2026, automatically route all address bar searches to DuckDuckGo's dedicated page, noai.duckduckgo.com. This page disables the company's own optional AI features, including its Search Assist summaries and Duck.ai chatbot, and filters out most AI-generated images from search results by default. The company has stated it plans to add similar AI search controls to its existing Privacy Essentials extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Opera in the coming months.

This product rollout coincides with a sustained spike in DuckDuckGo's usage metrics, which the company attributes directly to Google's recent changes. At its annual I/O conference in mid-May 2026, Google announced a major shift for its dominant search engine, prioritizing "AI Overviews" that provide generated summaries and visuals at the top of results, with...