In the wake of Google's recent overhaul of its search engine to incorporate AI features, DuckDuckGo has seen a remarkable uptick in app installations, with a reported increase of 30% on May 25 alone. This shift comes as many users express dissatisfaction with Google's new AI-driven search, which they feel complicates simple queries and lacks user control. DuckDuckGo, a privacy-centric alternative that has historically struggled against Google's dominance, reported an 18.1% average increase in U.S. app installs over the week of May 20 to May 25. On iOS devices, the growth was even more pronounced, averaging 33% and peaking at 69.9%. DuckDuckGo's AI-free search page also experienced significant traffic, averaging a 22.7% increase in visits. CEO Gabriel Weinberg criticized Google's approach, asserting that it diminishes the quality of search results. DuckDuckGo continues to promote user privacy and choice, offering its own AI product while ensuring no user data is collected for AI training.