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DuckDuckGo is promoting its search service to schools after Google said schools could turn off Gemini but would lose Google Search if they disabled the other AI features at issue. Google later said Gemini, Gemini Notebook and Search would be off by default and schools could choose whether to enable them. The scope of the search restriction and what schools can disable separately remain unclear.
DuckDuckGo is urging schools to switch their default search engine to its service after Google said schools could turn off Gemini but would lose access to Google Search if they disabled the other AI features covered by its announcement. The exchange puts a choice facing schools into focus: how to manage AI in classrooms while retaining familiar tools used by students and educators.
DuckDuckGo founder and CEO Gabriel Weinberg pointed schools to the company’s online instructions for changing a default search engine and invited them to contact DuckDuckGo for help. The company’s chief public affairs officer, Kamyl Bazbaz, went further in a post criticizing Google’s approach. DuckDuckGo also told TechCrunch that Google could turn off Search’s AI features for schools if it chose to.
Google responded to criticism by saying Gemini, Gemini Notebook and Search would be off by default, based on requests from K-12 schools for more control. It said schools could choose to enable the services individually. That clarification does not fully settle how disabling AI components in Google Search relates to keeping the search service itself: Google’s earlier explanation, as described by TechCrunch, said turning off its other AI features would cost schools access to Search.
The dispute is partly about what counts as an AI feature. Google Search now includes AI Overviews and a conversational feature called AI Mode. DuckDuckGo also offers AI tools, including the Duck.ai chat interface and an AI search assistant, but says users can turn those features off in its search and browser settings. Its noai.duckduckgo.com site is set up with AI-assisted answers, generated images and feature suggestions disabled.
Schools Face a Search and AI Choice
For schools, the issue is not simply whether to permit a chatbot. Search is a basic part of classroom research, and Google’s position may connect access to Search with decisions about AI. If schools cannot separate the two, administrators may have to weigh the benefits of keeping an established service against their preference to limit AI exposure for students.
DuckDuckGo’s pitch gives schools another option and highlights demand for controls that can be applied feature by feature. The company’s privacy focus and opt-out settings may appeal to educators seeking more say over how search works. But switching a default is not the same as replacing a school’s wider Google setup, and the report does not establish how many districts are considering a change.
The disagreement also reflects a broader tension in education: AI-enabled tools are already appearing in work and school, while some educators want the ability to remove them from learning activities altogether. Google has promoted Guided Learning, a technology intended to lead students through problem-solving rather than simply provide answers. That approach does not resolve the separate concern of schools that want AI features disabled.
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Google’s Reach in School Technology
Google has a substantial presence in education. Figures the company published in previous years put the number of Chromebooks in schools at about 50 million, used by students and educators, and said Google Classroom served more than 150 million users globally. Those figures are historical and do not establish current totals, but they help explain why a decision about Google Search could matter beyond a single app or setting.
The announcement landed amid public debate over how much AI people want in daily life. The TechCrunch report also pointed to local opposition to proposed AI data centers following elections, while noting that AI use at work and school is common. In that environment, educators’ requests for more control have become a practical policy question rather than only a debate over whether AI is useful.
DuckDuckGo is not presenting itself as an entirely AI-free company. Rather, its argument is about choice and the ability to switch features off. Earlier in 2026, the company reported that its app installs were up 30% as users rejected what it described as Google’s AI Search experience. The report does not provide a comparison period or baseline for that figure, so it should be treated as DuckDuckGo’s reported metric, not a measure of school demand.
““get in touch for help.””
— Gabriel Weinberg, DuckDuckGo founder and CEO
How Search Can Be Disabled
The central operational question remains unresolved: can schools keep Google Search while disabling its AI-powered components, or would opting out of those features remove Search access? Google’s public clarification says the listed services are off by default and can be enabled individually, but the available report does not explain how that statement fits with its earlier warning about losing Search when other AI features are switched off.
It is also not clear how the settings will work across different school accounts, products or administrative controls, or whether Google’s policy will change after feedback. No school district’s decision to switch to DuckDuckGo is identified in the source material, and the extent of educator demand is not quantified. DuckDuckGo’s reported increase in app installs does not establish how many schools might adopt its service.
School Settings and Adoption
The next step for school administrators is to examine Google’s controls and determine whether they can disable the features they object to without losing Search. Google’s statement leaves the services off by default, but schools will need clear guidance on how that works in their accounts before making decisions about classroom access.
DuckDuckGo has made its setup documentation available and offered direct help to schools considering a default-search change. Further clarity from Google on the relationship between Search and its AI features, along with any public decisions by school systems, would show whether the dispute leads to policy changes or actual adoption of an alternative. No such change or district-level switch is confirmed yet.
Key Questions
What did DuckDuckGo ask schools to do?
DuckDuckGo’s CEO directed schools to instructions for setting DuckDuckGo as their default search engine and offered help with the change.
What did Google say schools can turn off?
Google said Gemini, Gemini Notebook and Search would be off by default and that schools could choose to enable them individually. The earlier announcement, as reported by TechCrunch, said disabling other AI features would also cost schools access to Google Search.
Does DuckDuckGo offer AI features?
Yes. DuckDuckGo offers tools including Duck.ai and an AI search assistant, and says users can turn them off. Its noai.duckduckgo.com site also disables several AI features.
Have schools switched to DuckDuckGo?
The source report does not identify any school or district that has switched. DuckDuckGo has made instructions available, but school adoption is not confirmed.
Source: techcrunch.com
