DuckDuckGo is the first search engine to test generative AI functionality

DuckDuckGo is the first search engine to test generative AI functionality

San Francisco, 3/9/2023

DuckDuckGo is the latest search engine testing a generative AI feature. The DuckAssist AI tool, now in beta, is based on technology from ChatGPT developer OpenAI and AI startup Anthropic.

Using AI, the privacy-focused search engine can generate responses to queries using natural language technology.
Users click a blue „Ask“ button, and the AI service provides aggregated information, mostly from Wikipedia, but occasionally from sources similar to Encyclopedia Britannica.

The answers are more conversational and often contain more information without displaying multiple links.

According to founder Gabe Weinberg, DuckDuckGo uses OpenAI’s Davinci model and Anthropic Claude models to generate the natural language summaries.

DuckAssist Beta is currently free to use in the search engine mobile apps and browser extension, with no sign-up required.

What’s next:

If the study goes well, AI could be added to its web-based search engine at a later date.

The capability is „the first in a series of generative AI-powered features that we hope to introduce in the coming months,“ Weinberg said.