DuckDuckGo search saw 28% more visits after Google said people love AI mode

Re:DuckDuckGo search saw 28% more visits after Google said p... by thewebguyd on Wednesday May 27, 2026 @05:38PM (#48301098)

Perhaps they are, but I think what I think is odd is how many are simultaneously opposed to the effects of AI (data centers, environmental impact, job loss) yet also are daily, paying users of it even outside of work. I know several who are like that.

I wonder how many in that poll have a negative sentiment about AI, yet are also heavy users. There seems to be some kind of disconnect going on?

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Re:DuckDuckGo search saw 28% more visits after Google said p... by neltnerb on Wednesday May 27, 2026 @11:22PM (#48304077)

> I wonder how many in that poll have a negative sentiment about AI, yet are also heavy users. There seems to be some kind of disconnect going on?

Being a heavy user seems like it'd create a lot of resentment if you don't actually enjoy doing it.

If you have used a tool for years and years and suddenly it shoves in a bunch of AI, like Duolingo or Google, are you a heavy user who may well dislike the results?

I have to put in some work to not be a heavy user by any reasonable definition.

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Re:DuckDuckGo search saw 28% more visits after Google said p... by DiogenesKynikos on Thursday May 28, 2026 @02:39AM (#48305433)

ChatGPT has been downloaded >1 billion times on the Android PlayStore. AI is incredibly popular.

People have all sorts of concerns about how AI will change society, but that's precisely because it's so useful for so many things. If it were useless or just a fad, there would be no reason to worry.

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Re:DuckDuckGo search saw 28% more visits after Google said p... by LtWorf on Thursday May 28, 2026 @07:14AM (#48307361)

The startup where I worked had 1 million downloads (which is much less), but how many of those were using it daily vs trying it for 30 minutes and forgetting about it?

Less than 10% in our case :)

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Re:DuckDuckGo search saw 28% more visits after Google said p... by DiogenesKynikos on Thursday May 28, 2026 @11:07AM (#48310011)

1 billion downloads, even if only 10% of those are active users, is a massive number.

Heck, I haven't even downloaded the ChatGPT app, but I use their website all the time.

AI use has taken off, and a large fraction of the population is using it regularly, if their own accord.

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Re:DuckDuckGo search saw 28% more visits after Google said p... by LtWorf on Thursday May 28, 2026 @06:25PM (#48316382)

Yep, the free tier. Will they pay for it or stick around once it becomes more ads than anything else?

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Re:DuckDuckGo search saw 28% more visits after Google said p... by neltnerb on Friday May 29, 2026 @12:24AM (#48319016)

My point was that using something heavily means you have an informed opinion about hating it. Hating something you have never tried is way weirder.

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