Last week, DuckDuckGo, the web browser committed to user privacy, announced the widespread launch of AI-assisted answers on its search platform. Previously in beta testing, this new feature will now be accessible to all users, providing AI-generated summaries of search queries, akin to Google’s AI Overviews. Distinctly, DuckDuckGo allows users to manage the frequency of these summaries and offers the option to disable them entirely.
DuckDuckGo Unveils AI-Assisted Answers
In a blog post, DuckDuckGo CEO Gabriel Weinberg detailed the enhancements to their service, prominently featuring the AI-assisted answers. This capability presents a concise overview of information related to user queries, which aims to help users quickly locate relevant data.
Despite the new feature’s potential benefits, some users prefer the traditional search experience over AI-generated responses. The absence of flexibility in Google’s AI Overviews has prompted users to seek alternatives for turning off these summaries.
In response, DuckDuckGo has adopted a user-centric approach by allowing individuals to customize their experience. By adjusting settings under AI Features, users can select their preferred frequency for receiving AI-generated summaries from four options: Never, On-Demand, Sometimes, and Often. The Never option disables the feature, while On-Demand provides a manual trigger for generating summaries directly from the search results.
Weinberg noted that selecting the Often option will yield AI-generated answers for approximately 20 percent of searches. Furthermore, users can rest assured that these summaries are shared with AI models anonymously, with the assurance that personal information remains secure and is never disclosed to third parties.
Regarding the reliability of the generated summaries, DuckDuckGo emphasizes that the information is gathered through real-time web crawling. Since the authenticity of the sources cannot be independently verified, the AI-assisted answers include citations to inform users about the origin of the information, enabling them to assess its credibility.
DuckDuckGo Duck AI
Photo Credit: DuckDuckGo
In addition to AI-assisted answers, Duck.ai, previously known as AI Chat, is receiving several enhancements. New AI models have been integrated, including OpenAI’s GPT-4o mini and o3-mini, as well as Meta’s Llama 3.3. The platform will also feature a “Recent Chats” option, which keeps conversations with the AI stored locally on users’ devices, ensuring that these interactions are neither saved on DuckDuckGo’s servers nor those of the AI provider.
