DuckDuckGo pitches itself to schools amid backlash over Google’s AI policy

DuckDuckGo is pitching itself to schools following backlash over Google's AI policy. Google recently told schools they could disable Gemini, but warned that turning off its other AI features would also cost schools access to Google Search. DuckDuckGo, which emphasizes user privacy by limiting data collection, sees this as an opportunity to gain ground in education, where Google has long dominated—around 50 million Chromebooks are used in schools, and Google Classroom serves over 150 million users globally. CEO Gabriel Weinberg pointed schools to documentation on switching their default search engine to DuckDuckGo, while chief public affairs officer Kamyl Bazbaz criticized Google, saying it is "forcing AI on school children" and urging people to "Prove Google wrong." DuckDuckGo told TechCrunch that Google could easily turn off Search's AI features for schools if it wanted to. The controversy comes as the public debates how much AI to allow into daily life. Google defended its decision, saying it was responding to schools' feedback: Gemini, Gemini Notebook, and Search will be off by default, and schools can enable them individually. The problem is that Google Search now heavily uses AI through AI Overviews and a conversational AI Mode. DuckDuckGo is not anti-AI—it offers AI features like Duck.ai and an AI search assistant—but unlike Google, it lets users disable these features in search and browser settings, and offers a dedicated noai.duckduckgo.com site with AI-assisted answers, AI-generated images, and AI suggestions turned off. That flexibility may be driving demand, as the company reported app installs were up 30% this year amid user pushback against Google's AI Search.

(Source：TechCrunch)