DuckDuckGo can now hide AI-generated images while searching the web

[Alfonso Maruccia]

Editor's take: Generative AI services are everywhere now, flooding the web with an ungodly amount of AI slop regardless of the subject. Major search engines are joyfully shoving this content down users' throats, while smaller services are scrambling to offer alternatives for managing the AI waste turning the internet into a digital landfill.

DuckDuckGo recently introduced a new setting to help users manage the flood of AI-generated content cluttering search results. The alternative search engine now offers a quick way to hide machine-made images from search pages, though results may still vary depending on the query.

DuckDuckGo's new filtering option relies on manually curated, open-source lists of websites known for spreading AI-generated content. One such list is also used by ad-blocking tools like uBlock Origin and uBlacklist and includes more than a thousand sites known for hosting large volumes of AI-produced material.

The filtering approach won't catch all AI-generated content but should significantly reduce digital clutter in image search results. Users can enable the AI-hiding feature via a new drop-down menu on the image search page or through their account's search settings.

Users can also access a "No AI" version of the search engine through a dedicated URL. In addition to hiding AI images, this version disables AI search summaries and other AI-related features. DuckDuckGo recommends bookmarking the page for those who want to see less AI content while browsing.

While introducing the new filtering feature on Reddit earlier this week, the DuckDuckGo team said AI features should be private, useful, and optional. People should be able to decide for themselves how much AI content they want in their lives – or whether they want any at all.

DuckDuckGo is a US-based search engine focused on privacy and user choice. It doesn't track browsing habits, keeps favicons anonymous, and discards user geolocation data. In recent years, the company has expanded with browser extensions and a custom DuckDuckGo browser for both desktop and mobile platforms.

DuckDuckGo also offers a way to anonymously access ChatGPT and other popular chatbot services through its Duck.ai platform. The company says it does not use conversation data to train new AI models and has set up the service to keep sessions private.

Permalink to story:

DuckDuckGo can now hide AI-generated images while searching the web

 

[winjer]

That is a great feature that more browsers should copy.

 

[mgwerner]

Are they still sharing search results with Microsoft, as part of a CEO-stated contractual obligation? They were hiding that until exposed in 2022, then fessed up. That's when I dumped them.

Not for sharing, mind. For lying.

That being said, agree with first poster that more search engines should use AI blockers, as search, not matter what engine is used, is getting less useful as the months go by.

 

[NumberNine]

Like any other privacy-focused startups, Duck Duck Go kept their promise only very briefly and now relies on marketing to create lies- er I mean illusions to foster a certain perception of their product.

Duck Duck Go's product is Microsoft Bing.

 

[Cal Jeffrey]

Frankly, DuckDuckGo has one of the worst image search engines I've used. Limiting AI-generated images won't help it. There are many, many unrelated problems with it.

 

[AlexIL]

DuckDuckGo, dumped them after they got caught on lies.

Search in general becoming useless. For ****s sake Russian and Chinese search engines yield less slop and better results now. At this speed of degradation best search engine will be North Korean.

 

[p51d007]

Shoot, they pretty much all crawl from each other anyway, but I'd love to have a switch that
would turn of AI search results. Here's a map of the search engines.
searchenginemap.com