DuckDuckGo No-AI visits surge 28% after Google AI search launch

DuckDuckGo is experiencing accelerated user growth following Google’s May 19 I/O unveiling of its Gemini 3.5 Flash AI Search. Latest data show U.S. app installs rose 30% week-over-week while visits to DuckDuckGo’s dedicated “No AI” page jumped 27.7%. The shift began immediately after the announcement, with install growth averaging 18.1% and peaking at 30.5% on May 25. iOS installs led the trend, surging as high as 69.9%. Although DuckDuckGo’s overall market share remains modest at 1.74–2.53%, the rapid backlash highlights potential risks to Google’s search engagement and ad ecosystem.