DuckDuckGo launches browser extensions for its no-AI search engine as traffic surges following Google's AI-first search overhaul

DuckDuckGo released new Chrome and Firefox extensions that let users set noai.duckduckgo.com as their default search engine, directing them to a page with no AI-assisted answers, no chat prompts, and fewer AI images in results.

Traffic to DuckDuckGo's no-AI search page was up nearly 30% week-over-week, U.S. app installs rose 18.1% week-over-week, and U.S. iOS app installs peaked at 69.9% week-over-week growth. On Thursday, May 28, 2026, traffic to the no-AI page was up threefold with visits averaging roughly 84% above baseline.

The surge follows Google's announcement of a major search engine redesign that prioritizes AI-generated overviews (capable of creating visualizations, charts, graphs, or mini apps) over traditional search links, prompting some users to switch to alternative search engines like DuckDuckGo and Kagi.