DuckDuckGo, a privacy-centric search engine, has experienced a significant influx of new users following Google's recent AI-related updates, announced during the annual I/O developer conference. In the week after the event, DuckDuckGo reported a nearly 30% increase in app installations and a tripling of visits to its 'No AI' search page. The company has also introduced browser extensions for Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox, allowing users to set DuckDuckGo as their default search engine without AI integration. Despite DuckDuckGo's market share being a mere 0.7% compared to Google's over 90%, the company is positioning itself as a viable alternative to Google's AI-driven search. DuckDuckGo's CEO, Gabriel Weinberg, criticized Google's approach, stating that it forces AI on users without an opt-out option, leading to declining search quality. He emphasized DuckDuckGo's commitment to user control over AI usage, which he believes is driving the recent surge in interest.