DuckDuckGo pitches itself to schools amid backlash over Google’s AI policy
DuckDuckGo is courting schools frustrated by Google's AI restrictions, pointing educators to its search engine and options to disable AI features.
Key points
- Google told schools they can turn off Gemini but said disabling other AI features would cost them Google Search.
- DuckDuckGo CEO Gabriel Weinberg pointed schools to documentation on switching their default search engine.
- DuckDuckGo says its AI features can be disabled in search and browser settings, unlike Google's.
DuckDuckGo is pitching itself to schools after Google told schools on Tuesday that they could turn off Gemini, but that shutting off its other AI features would also cost them Google Search. DuckDuckGo, which limits data collection to focus on user privacy, sees the moment as a chance to gain ground in education, where Google has long dominated.
Google has previously published figures showing around 50 million Chromebooks in schools and more than 150 million users of Google Classroom globally.
How DuckDuckGo responded
On X, DuckDuckGo founder and CEO Gabriel Weinberg pointed to the company's online documentation explaining how schools can make DuckDuckGo their default search engine, adding, "get in touch for help." Chief public affairs officer Kamyl Bazbaz issued a stronger statement, writing, "Forcing AI on school children: how a monopolist behaves when they think people are powerless. Prove Google wrong."
In an email to TechCrunch, DuckDuckGo criticized Google's decision and said Google could easily turn off Search's AI features for schools if it wanted to.
Forcing AI on school children: how a monopolist behaves when they think people are powerless. Prove Google wrong.
— Kamyl Bazbaz
Google defends its decision
After the backlash, Google said it was responding to schools' feedback. It said Gemini, Gemini Notebook and Search would be off by default, and that schools could enable them individually.
The article notes that Google Search now makes heavy use of AI through AI Overviews and a conversational AI Mode. DuckDuckGo offers its own AI features, including a chat interface called Duck.ai and an AI search assistant, but says it lets users disable them in search and browser settings, and runs noai.duckduckgo.com with AI answers, AI-generated images and AI feature suggestions turned off. The company reported earlier this year that its app installs were up 30%.
