In a digital landscape increasingly saturated with AI-generated content, DuckDuckGo has taken a stand for authenticity by launching a new filter that enables users to hide AI-generated images from search results.
The feature, rolled out in mid-July 2025, addresses mounting user complaints that AI-created imagery was making it difficult to find genuine content. Users can now toggle between showing or hiding AI-generated images through a simple dropdown menu in the Images tab or by enabling the setting in their search preferences.
"Our philosophy about AI features is 'private, useful, and optional,'" DuckDuckGo stated in their announcement. "You should decide for yourself how much AI you want in your life – or if you want any at all."
The filter relies on manually curated open-source blocklists, including the 'nuclear' list from uBlockOrigin and the uBlacklist Huge AI Blocklist. While DuckDuckGo acknowledges the system won't catch 100% of AI-generated content, it significantly reduces the number of synthetic images appearing in search results.
For users seeking a completely AI-free experience, DuckDuckGo has also introduced noai.duckduckgo.com, a special subdomain where AI image filtering is automatically enabled and other AI features like Duck.ai and AI-assisted summaries are disabled by default.
This move comes amid growing concerns about the internet being flooded with what many call "AI slop" – low-quality, often misleading content created by generative AI tools. With estimates suggesting over 60% of online images are now AI-generated or heavily altered, DuckDuckGo's filter represents a significant step toward giving users control over their online experience.
The company's choice to showcase the feature using a baby peacock search example pointedly references Google's recent controversy, where searches for baby peacocks predominantly returned AI-generated images rather than authentic photographs. While Google has since addressed this specific issue, the broader problem of AI content dominating search results persists across major platforms.
DuckDuckGo plans to introduce additional filters in the future, though specifics haven't been announced. As the first major search engine to offer users direct control over AI-created content in search results, DuckDuckGo continues to differentiate itself through its commitment to user privacy and choice.