DuckDuckGo is giving users more control over their search experience by adding a new setting to block AI-generated images. If you’ve been annoyed by fake photos clogging up your image results, this update might feel like a breath of fresh air.
The search engine’s move fits squarely within its “private, useful, and optional” AI philosophy. DuckDuckGo says its goal isn’t to force artificial intelligence on people, but to help them find what they’re looking for… without overwhelming them with AI fluff.
The new setting is now live under the Images tab. When you search for pictures, you’ll see a drop-down menu labeled “AI images” with options to show or hide them. If you prefer to never see AI-generated visuals again, just flip the switch to “hide.”
The filter isn’t perfect, but it’s built on manually curated, open-source blocklists from uBlockOrigin and the Huge AI Blocklist project. While it won’t catch every AI-generated image, it will cut down on most of the obvious ones.
DuckDuckGo also offers an easy shortcut: go to noai.duckduckgo.com. That link automatically enables the AI image filter, hides AI-assisted summaries, and removes Duck.ai chat icons too.
This update lands at a time when AI-generated images are becoming harder to distinguish from the real thing. For users who want their search experience to stay organic (and maybe even a little less weird) this is a welcome addition.
