DuckDuckGo usage up 30% — is Google losing the search war to anti-AI sentiment?

duckduckgo reported a 30% increase in installs following google's announcement of expanded ai features in search, suggesting a recoil from generative ai integration. the equity podcast discussed whether this represents a broader anti-ai moment, citing negative reactions to google's focus on commercial outcomes over pure information retrieval. while google remains dominant, the shift indicates a significant market segment rejecting current ai directions. meanwhile, industry observers note a trend where labs like anthropic gain traction by clarifying their value proposition, contrasting with google's perceived vagueness.