DuckDuckGo has unveiled a new feature, AI Chat, which offers users an anonymous way to access popular AI chatbots.
This innovative service includes models like OpenAI’s GPT 3.5 Turbo, Anthropic’s Claude 3 Haiku, and two open-source models, Meta Llama 3 and Mistral’s Mixtral 8x7B.
A New Era of Private AI Interaction
DuckDuckGo’s AI Chat is designed to provide a private and anonymous experience for users who want to interact with AI chatbots.
This optional feature is free to use within a daily limit and can be easily switched off if desired.
The company emphasizes that all chats are private, anonymized, and not used for any AI model training.
According to the Spreadprivacy blog, Users can access DuckDuckGo AI Chat through various entry points, including duck.ai, duckduckgo.com/chat, the Chat tab on search results pages, or via the !ai and !chat bang shortcuts.
All these routes lead to the same destination, ensuring a seamless user experience.
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Why AI Chat?
DuckDuckGo’s mission is to demonstrate that online privacy can be easily maintained.
The company believes people should be able to use the internet and digital tools without sacrificing their privacy.
This philosophy has driven the development of products that add a layer of privacy to everyday online activities, from search and browsing to email and now generative AI with AI Chat.
According to recent Pew research, many U.S. adults have concerns about AI’s impact on privacy, even as they recognize its potential benefits in other areas.
DuckDuckGo AI Chat aims to address these concerns by offering a private and anonymous way to use AI chatbots.
Enhancing the Search Experience
DuckDuckGo takes a thoughtful approach to integrating AI features in the competitive landscape of generative AI.
Before rolling out, the company carefully considers how these features can enhance the search and browsing experience.
AI Chat and search are seen as complementary tools that can help users find information more effectively, especially when exploring new topics.
For instance, users might start with AI Chat to ask a few questions and then switch to traditional search to find reviews, prices, or other primary sources.
Conversely, they might begin with a search and then use AI Chat for follow-up queries.
This flexibility allows users to choose the method that best suits their needs.
How It Works and Ensures Privacy
Users can select their preferred chat model and interact like any other chat interface when they land on the AI Chat page.
All chats are completely anonymous, with DuckDuckGo removing users’ IP addresses and using its own instead.
This ensures that requests appear from DuckDuckGo, not the individual user.
DuckDuckGo does not save or store any chats. While the underlying model providers may temporarily store chats to ensure system functionality, they cannot trace them back to individual users.
Agreements with model providers ensure that any saved chats are deleted within 30 days and are not used for model training.
AI Chat is free to use within a daily limit, maintaining strict user anonymity.
DuckDuckGo plans to keep the current level of access free while exploring a paid plan for higher usage limits and more advanced chat models.
DuckDuckGo is already working on improvements to AI Chat, including new capabilities like custom system prompts and general user experience enhancements.
The company also plans to add more chat models, potentially including DuckDuckGo– or user-hosted options.
Users are encouraged to provide feedback on desired features via the Share Feedback button on the AI Chat screen.
To experience DuckDuckGo AI Chat, visit duck.ai or duckduckgo.com/chat.
You can also find it on your search results page under the Chat tab or initiate a chat using the !ai or !chat bang shortcuts.
If AI Chat isn’t for you, it can be easily disabled in the Search settings menu.
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