DuckDuckGo Urges Schools to Ditch Google After Search Giant Says They Must Accept AI Features or Lose Google Search

DuckDuckGo is urging schools to switch from Google after the search giant said institutions seeking to disable AI features within Search would also have to give up access to the service. The policy has drawn criticism, giving the privacy-focused rival an opening to promote its own search tools as educators seek greater control over AI in classrooms.

The dispute raises questions about whether schools should have to accept AI-powered features to continue using Google Search.

DuckDuckGo Challenges Google's AI Policy for Schools

Google's vice president for education, Chris Phillips, told The New York Times that 'Search and AI are deeply integrated.' This means that if a school chooses to restrict AI entirely, students 'will not have access to search, and they'll see a message from their school that indicates it's not available.'

Google announced the planned change alongside the rollout of Guided Learning in schools. Unveiled earlier this year, the AI-powered tool acts as a virtual tutor, helping students deepen their understanding rather than simply providing answers. Its introduction comes amid concerns that AI chatbots offering ready-made answers could weaken students' critical thinking and learning skills.

The policy sparked wider criticism, with DuckDuckGo founder and CEO Gabriel Weinberg among those speaking out. 'Wow. Google is going to block their search engine in schools if they don't use their AI. Meanwhile, DuckDuckGo lets you choose if you want AI in search or not,' he wrote on X. He also shared instructions for making DuckDuckGo the default search engine and offered assistance, adding, 'Get in touch for help.'

The company's chief public affairs officer, Kamyl Bazbaz, went further, criticising Google's use of its market position. 'Forcing AI on schoolchildren: how a monopolist behaves when they think people are powerless. Prove Google wrong,' Bazbaz wrote.

In an email to TechCrunch, DuckDuckGo criticised Google's decision, arguing that the company could disable AI features in Search for schools if it chose to. Google's vast classroom presence raises the stakes. The company previously reported around 50 million Chromebooks used in education and more than 150 million Google Classroom users worldwide. Moving away from Google's ecosystem may be difficult, but switching default search engines could help schools reduce exposure to Google's AI-powered search features without abandoning existing classroom tools.

Google's AI Rules Spark Backlash

Following Tuesday's backlash, Google defended its decision, saying it was responding to schools' feedback. The company said Gemini, Gemini Notebook, and Search would be disabled by default, with schools able to turn on each service separately.

Google's policy has drawn criticism because AI is now deeply integrated into Search. AI Overviews generate summaries within search results, while AI Mode provides conversational answers to users' questions.

DuckDuckGo Offers Schools an AI-Free Search Alternative

DuckDuckGo offers AI features of its own, including the Duck.ai chatbot and an AI-powered search assistant. However, it allows users to disable these tools through its search and browser settings.

Its dedicated website, noai.duckduckgo.com, removes AI-assisted answers, AI-generated images, and AI feature suggestions from search results. This gives schools another option if they want greater control over students' access to AI-powered features while retaining traditional search capabilities.

That flexibility could appeal to schools seeking greater control over how students access information online. The company reported a 30% rise in app installs earlier this year, amid growing frustration with Google's AI-powered Search.