DuckDuckGo keeps surging on iPhone after Google's AI search overhaul

DuckDuckGo has recorded its highest single-day search traffic ever, with a surge especially strong among iPhone users. This spike follows Google's AI-heavy search overhaul at Google I/O, which inadvertently boosted interest in DuckDuckGo. The search engine now sees its peak daily traffic, confirmed by internal updates shared with 9to5Mac. Unlike Google's AI-focused approach, DuckDuckGo offers a traditional search experience and allows users to disable all AI features via noai.duckduckgo.com, an option unavailable on Google. This feature gives users control over AI usage, appealing to privacy-conscious users. The rise reflects growing demand for privacy-first search engines amid Google's AI pivot.