DuckDuckGo is pitching to schools as Google opens up the potential for an alternative search engine. Google told schools on Tuesday they could turn off Gemini, but said turning off other AI features would also cost schools Google Search.
DuckDuckGo, a company that values user privacy by limiting data collection, clearly sees this as an opportunity to expand into the education space, which has historically been dominated by Google. According to numbers released by Google over the past few years, there are approximately 50 million Chromebooks in schools and used by students and educators, and the company’s Google Classroom platform serves more than 150 million users worldwide.
For X, DuckDuckGo founder and CEO Gabriel Weinberg pointed to the company’s online documentation explaining how schools can switch their default search engine to DuckDuckGo’s service, adding, “If you need help, please contact us.”
Meanwhile, DuckDuckGo’s chief communications officer Kamil Bazbaz issued a stronger statement, writing, “Forcing AI on schoolchildren. How does a monopoly company that thinks humans are powerless behave? Prove Google wrong.”
DuckDuckGo condemned Google’s decision in an email to TechCrunch, adding that Google could easily disable AI features in school search if it wanted to.
The company’s comments come as Americans consider how much AI they want to incorporate into their lives. As Tuesday night’s election shows, they don’t want AI data centers built in their towns. However, the use of AI in workplaces and schools has become common practice and requires a more nuanced discussion.
Knowing that educators were struggling with AI, Google developed a technology called “guided learning” that aims to help children learn by walking them through problem-solving steps, rather than simply providing answers. However, educators are still looking for tools that can completely remove AI from the learning process.
Following Tuesday’s backlash, Google defended its decision, saying it was only responding to feedback from schools. It says Gemini, Gemini Notebook and Search will be turned off by default and schools can choose to enable them individually.
The problem, of course, is that Google Search makes heavy use of AI through AI Overview and conversational AI modes that answer user queries.
To be clear, DuckDuckGo is not anti-AI. It offers a unique set of AI features, including a chat interface and an AI search assistant called Duck.ai.
However, unlike Google, the company says it offers options to disable these features in both search and browser settings. We also offer a dedicated website, noai.duckduckgo.com, where AI-assisted answers, AI-generated images, and AI feature suggestions are all turned off.
That flexibility may be driving demand for its services, as the company reported earlier this year that app installs increased by 30% after users rejected Google’s mandatory AI search offering.
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