At Google I/O 2026, Google announced several big changes coming to its products and services. Most notably in Search, where Google wants to introduce advanced agentic AI. From a tech perspective, it’s actually really cool. After all, Google revolutionized search once; why not again, right? But from a privacy perspective, not so much. This is why it’s not surprising that installs for DuckDuckGo are on the rise in response to Google AI efforts.
DuckDuckGo installs increase following Google AI plans
For those unfamiliar, DuckDuckGo is a search engine and browser that prides itself on being privacy-focused. This is unlike other search engines like Google, which collects data on users to provide more relevant search results and ads. Now, there are some benefits to being tracked, like having more relevant search results. And some are willing to pay the price in terms of seeing more targeted ads or having their data kept and analyzed.
However, that could be changing. According to 9to5Mac, DuckDuckGo told the publication it has seen an increase in installs following Google AI announcements at I/O 2026. In particular, iOS users seem to be more keen than most. The company says that iOS installs in the US shot up by 33% week over week on average. For context, the company has an overall growth of 18.1%.
This seems to suggest that more users are interested in using more traditional search with better privacy, rather than turning to enhanced AI search. While we doubt that DuckDuckGo will be dethroning Google anytime soon, it’s an interesting trend and direction.
AI everywhere
That being said, it should be noted that DuckDuckGo isn’t entirely AI-free. Like many companies, DuckDuckGo has hopped onto the AI bandwagon. They don’t really have much of a choice; it’s either adapt or be left behind. However, DuckDuckGo has always emphasized that its AI features are optional. DuckDuckGo has also created a “no AI” link if you want to avoid it completely.
This is unlike Google’s approach, where AI Overviews are integrated into search whether you like it or not. You can disable it if you know how, but it’s not immediately obvious. AI has already become so ingrained in our lives, so for most people, it might feel like a natural evolution of things. But for others who miss the older and simpler ways, DuckDuckGo could be an alternative to Google.
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