DuckDuckGo rolled out browser extensions that let users lock their default search to noai.duckduckgo.com, the company's AI-free version of its engine. The extensions launched Monday for Chrome and Firefox.
The no-AI page strips out three things: the Search Assist answer box, Duck.ai chat prompts, and AI-generated images, which get filtered using public blocklists like the uBlockOrigin and uBlacklist crowd-sourced lists. DuckDuckGo's own help docs say the page works the same as regular search, just with those features off by default. The image filtering is best-effort, not airtight, and the company says as much.
This is happening because Google reworked its search box in mid-May, pushing AI Overviews ahead of the old blue links. DuckDuckGo says traffic to its no-AI page tripled on May 28, with visits averaging about 84% above baseline since. Those are company-reported figures, and DuckDuckGo still holds a sliver of search market share that depends partly on Bing's index.
Worth a note: DuckDuckGo isn't anti-AI. It runs its own Duck.ai chatbot and sells a subscription with model access and a VPN. The pitch here is choice, not abstinence. DuckDuckGo says it will also update its Privacy Essentials extensions for Edge and Opera with AI search controls soon.
Bottom Line
The no-AI extensions hardcode noai.duckduckgo.com as default, blocking Search Assist, Duck.ai, and AI images.
Quick Facts
- Extensions live for Chrome and Firefox
- Launched June 1, 2026
- No-AI traffic tripled May 28 (company-reported)
- Visits averaging ~84% above baseline (company-reported)
- Blocks Search Assist, Duck.ai, and AI-generated images
