What happened
DuckDuckGo is marketing its search engine to schools after Google said on Tuesday that educators could disable its Gemini assistant but would lose access to Google Search if they also switched off the company's other AI features, TechCrunch reported. Founder and chief executive Gabriel Weinberg posted on X directing schools to DuckDuckGo documentation on making it the default search engine, and offered the company's assistance.
Kamyl Bazbaz, the company's chief public affairs officer, went further, accusing Google of behaving like a monopolist that imposes AI on children because it assumes users cannot push back. In comments emailed to the outlet, DuckDuckGo criticized the decision and argued that Google could readily disable the AI features in Search for schools if it chose to.
Google defended the move after the backlash, saying it reflected feedback from schools. According to Google, Gemini, Gemini Notebook and Search will be switched off by default, and schools can turn each one on separately. The sticking point is that Search itself now leans heavily on AI through AI Overviews and its conversational AI Mode.
Context
Google has previously cited roughly 50 million Chromebooks in schools and over 150 million Google Classroom users worldwide. Its Guided Learning tool walks students through problem-solving steps rather than giving answers, yet educators still want ways to remove AI entirely. DuckDuckGo offers Duck.ai, an AI search assistant and a no-AI version of its site, and said earlier this year its app installs had risen 30%.
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