Key facts
- Google told schools on Tuesday they could turn off Gemini, but said disabling other AI features would cost them Google Search.
- DuckDuckGo CEO Gabriel Weinberg pointed schools to documentation on making DuckDuckGo their default search engine.
- DuckDuckGo public affairs chief Kamyl Bazbaz said Google was forcing AI on school children.
- Google said Gemini, Gemini Notebook and Search would be off by default and schools could enable them individually.
- Google has previously published figures of around 50 million Chromebooks in schools and over 150 million Google Classroom users.
DuckDuckGo is pitching its search engine to schools after Google told educators on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, that they could turn off Gemini but that shutting off its other AI features would cost them Google Search as well.
Gabriel Weinberg, DuckDuckGo's founder and CEO, pointed on X to the company's online documentation explaining how schools can switch their default search engine to DuckDuckGo, adding, "get in touch for help." Chief public affairs officer Kamyl Bazbaz wrote, "Forcing AI on school children: how a monopolist behaves when they think people are powerless. Prove Google wrong." In an email to TechCrunch, DuckDuckGo said Google could easily turn off Search's AI features for schools if it wanted to.
Google defended the decision, saying it was responding to schools' feedback. It said Gemini, Gemini Notebook and Search would be off by default and that schools could enable them individually. In a post on X, News from Google said, "Today's announcements give schools more choice, not less."
According to figures Google has published in previous years, around 50 million Chromebooks are in schools and Google Classroom serves over 150 million users globally. Google Search now relies heavily on AI through AI Overviews and a conversational AI Mode.
DuckDuckGo offers its own AI features, including a chat interface called Duck.ai and an AI search assistant, but says it provides options to disable them in its search and browser settings. It also runs a site, noai.duckduckgo.com, where AI-assisted answers, AI-generated images and AI feature suggestions are turned off. The company said earlier this year that its app installs were up 30%.