DuckDuckGo Introduces Feature to Hide AI-Generated Images in Search Results

DuckDuckGo now lets you hide AI-generated images in search results | TechCrunch

Privacy-focused browser DuckDuckGo is rolling out a new setting that lets users filter out AI images in search results. The company says it's launching the feature in response to feedback from users who said AI images can get in the way of finding what they're looking for. Users can access the new setting by conducting a search on DuckDuckGo and heading to the Images tab. From there, they will see a new dropdown menu titled "AI images." Users can then choose whether or not they want to see AI content by selecting "show" or "hide." Users can also turn on the filter in their search settings by tapping the "Hide AI-Generated Images" option. DuckDuckGo's new feature comes as the internet is being flooded with AI "slop," which refers to low-quality media content made using generative AI technology. "The filter relies on manually curated open-source blocklists, including the 'nuclear' list, provided by uBlockOrigin and uBlacklist Huge AI Blocklist," DuckDuckGo said in a post on X. "While it won't catch 100% of AI-generated results, it will greatly reduce the number of AI-generated images you see." DuckDuckGo says it plans on adding additional filters in the future, but didn't provide specifics. It's worth noting that DuckDuckGo's example for the new feature depicts an image search for a baby peacock, likely in reference to Google facing controversy last year for showing more AI-generated images of baby peacocks rather than real-life images when conducting an image search for the bird.

This Search Engine Lets You Hide AI-Generated Images in Search Results

Apple software beta tester, "Helps make our computers and phones work!" - Zach's grandparents DuckDuckGo, the company behind the privacy-focused search engine, now has a new tool built into its search engine that lets you filter out AI-generated images from your search results. That way, you may see fewer misleading or fake photos when looking for images. However, the filter is not on by default, so you have to enable it. Here's how to use the AI-generated image filter in DuckDuckGo. 1. Go to duckduckgo.com. 2. Search for an image, something like "baby peacock." 3. Go to the Images tab. 4. Click AI Images: show to open a dropdown menu. 5. Click Hide. DuckDuckGo said in an email to CNET that the image filter relies on open-source blocklists from uBlockOrigin and uBlacklist Huge AI Blocklist. CNET's Katelyn Chedraoui covers AI, like chatbots and image generators, and she thinks tools like this are a great way of giving people more control over their search experiences. However, she said these tools aren't perfect. "AI images are impossible to escape online," Chedraoui said. "There's no silver bullet for weeding out AI." DuckDuckGo conceded in its email to CNET that this filter won't stop every AI-generated image result. But the company said that the filter "will greatly reduce the number of AI-generated images you see." The company said it plans on adding more filters in the future.

Here's How to Hide AI-Generated Images in Search Results in DuckDuckGo

Apple software beta tester, "Helps make our computers and phones work!" - Zach's grandparents With a new tool built into DuckDuckGo's privacy-focused search engine, you can hide AI-generated images from your search results, which could help ensure you see fewer misleading or fake photos. The filter isn't on by default, though, so you have to enable it. Here's how. 1. Go to duckduckgo.com. 2. Search for an image, something like "baby peacock." 3. Go to the Images tab. 4. Click AI Images: show to open a dropdown menu. 5. Click Hide. DuckDuckGo said in an email to CNET that the image filter relies on open-source blocklists from uBlockOrigin and uBlacklist Huge AI Blocklist. CNET's Katelyn Chedraoui covers AI, like chatbots and image generators, and she thinks tools like this are a great way to give people more control over their search experiences. However, she said these tools aren't perfect. "AI images are impossible to escape online," Chedraoui said. "There's no silver bullet for weeding out AI." DuckDuckGo conceded in its email to CNET that this filter won't stop every AI-generated image result. But the company said that the filter "will greatly reduce the number of AI-generated images you see." The company said it plans on adding more filters in the future.

Tired of AI images online? This search engine lets you hide them from results now

DuckDuckGo, the privacy-focused browser and search engine, has released a new setting on its search engine that allows users to hide AI-generated images. "Our philosophy about AI features is 'private, useful, and optional.' Our goal is to help you find what you're looking for. You should decide for yourself how much AI you want in your life - or if you want any at all," the company said on X last week. Also: I test AI tools for a living. Here are 3 image generators I actually use and how To that end, the company has added a feature that makes it easy to filter out AI images, so you don't have to see them. The new filter works with open-source blocklists (such as uBlockOrigin's "nuclear" list and uBlacklist's "Huge AI Blocklist") to give users control over the kinds of images they want to see. This new feature doesn't eliminate AI-generated images from the search, but rather, vastly reduces the number of such images that appear in your searches. There are two ways you can manage the control of AI-generated images. If you go to the DuckDuckGo search site and search for an image, you can then click the AI Images drop-down and select Hide. That option is done on a per-search basis. If you want to do away with AI-images for all searches, click the gear icon on the DuckDuckGo page, click Manage (associated with AI Features), and then click the Off button to switch it to On. Once you've done that, all searches will filter out AI-generated images. This new feature is important because it marks the first search engine to hand over such controls to the user. Google doesn't allow filtering AI-generated images from its search, and for anyone who'd prefer not to see such content, DuckDuckGo is the best option. This will be an important feature, as more and more AI-generated content is included in searches. You can read more about this on the DuckDuckGo official X account.

Tired of seeing AI images online? DuckDuckGo lets you hide them from results now

DuckDuckGo, the privacy-focused browser and search engine, has released a new setting on its search engine that allows users to hide AI-generated images. "Our philosophy about AI features is 'private, useful, and optional.' Our goal is to help you find what you're looking for. You should decide for yourself how much AI you want in your life - or if you want any at all," the company said on X last week. Also: I test AI tools for a living. Here are 3 image generators I actually use and how To that end, the company has added a feature that makes it easy to filter out AI images, so you don't have to see them. The new filter works with open-source blocklists (such as uBlockOrigin's "nuclear" list and uBlacklist's "Huge AI Blocklist") to give users control over the kinds of images they want to see. This new feature doesn't eliminate AI-generated images from the search, but rather, vastly reduces the number of such images that appear in your searches. There are two ways you can manage the control of AI-generated images. If you go to the DuckDuckGo search site and search for an image, you can then click the AI Images drop-down and select Hide. That option is done on a per-search basis. If you want to do away with AI-images for all searches, click the gear icon on the DuckDuckGo page, click Manage (associated with AI Features), and then click the Off button to switch it to On. Once you've done that, all searches will filter out AI-generated images. This new feature is important because it marks the first search engine to hand over such controls to the user. Google doesn't allow filtering AI-generated images from its search, and for anyone who'd prefer not to see such content, DuckDuckGo is the best option. This will be an important feature, as more and more AI-generated content is included in searches. You can read more about this on the DuckDuckGo official X account.

Sick of AI Slop? DuckDuckGo Now Lets You Block AI-Generated Images

(Credit: eMateusz Slodkowski/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) Whether you are trying to escape from political disinformation or simply avoid AI-assisted cyberscams, AI images are becoming increasingly hard to avoid in the world of search. Now, the privacy-focused Google Chrome alternative DuckDuckGo has rolled out a new feature that lets you hide AI-generated images from your search results. The browser admits the new feature isn't perfect, acknowledging that it "won't catch 100% of AI-generated results," but it promises to "greatly reduce the number of AI-generated images you see." The new feature uses manually curated open-source blocklists, including what it calls a "nuclear" list, provided by the open-source content-blocking browser extension uBlock Origin and the search blocker uBlacklist. Giving the feature a whirl is relatively simple. First, make a search via DuckDuckGo and head to the Images tab. You'll then see a new drop-down option allowing you to show or hide AI images. Alternatively, for a more consistently AI-free browsing experience, you can bookmark http://noai.duckduckgo.com, where the image filter is auto-enabled and AI-assisted summaries are switched off. This also hides DuckDuckGo's own AI chat feature. Even if they're not intentionally malicious or manipulative, AI images have become a valid cause of complaint for search engine users. TechCrunch, which covered the new feature, noted that numerous users on X, Reddit, and blogging platforms like Medium have complained that for certain search terms, such as "baby peacock," AI images often outnumbered or equalled pictures of the real animals in search results, which could easily lead to confusion about what a real baby peacock even looks like. DuckDuckGo isn't the only firm rolling out new tools to keep unwanted AI content out of your browsing session. In 2024, Hiya rolled out a Chrome extension to help you detect deepfaked audio online, including on YouTube, X/Twitter, and Facebook -- though again, it's not always going to be 100% accurate. Meanwhile, search engines like Microsoft's Bing have partnered with non-profit organizations such as Stop Non-Consensual Intimate Image Abuse (StopNCII) to remove explicit deepfakes from its search results.

DuckDuckGo now allows you to filter out AI images in search results

DuckDuckGo is making it easier to wade through some of the AI slop that has taken over the internet in recent months. This week, the company introduced a new filter for removing AI-generated images from search results. The next time you use the browser, you'll see a new dropdown menu titled "AI images." From there, you can set whether you want to see AI content or not. The filter relies on manually curated open-source block lists maintained by uBlockOrigin and others. According to DuckDuckGo, the filter won't catch every AI-generated image out on the internet, but it will greatly reduce how many you see. The company says it's working on additional filters. You'll notice the example DuckDuckGo uses to demo the feature in the GIF it provided involves a search for images of a "baby peacock." That's not by accident. People first started noticing how much Google Search results had been overrun by AI slop about a year ago, and one of the worst examples was any query involving the showy birds. Google has since addressed the situation somewhat, but AI slop in search results remain a problem on the platform. So it's good to see DuckDuckGo adopt a simple but effective solution to the issue.

DuckDuckGo can now hide AI-generated images while searching the web

Serving tech enthusiasts for over 25 years. TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust. Editor's take: Generative AI services are everywhere now, flooding the web with an ungodly amount of AI slop regardless of the subject. Major search engines are joyfully shoving this content down users' throats, while smaller services are scrambling to offer alternatives for managing the AI waste turning the internet into a digital landfill. DuckDuckGo recently introduced a new setting to help users manage the flood of AI-generated content cluttering search results. The alternative search engine now offers a quick way to hide machine-made images from search pages, though results may still vary depending on the query. DuckDuckGo's new filtering option relies on manually curated, open-source lists of websites known for spreading AI-generated content. One such list is also used by ad-blocking tools like uBlock Origin and uBlacklist and includes more than a thousand sites known for hosting large volumes of AI-produced material. The filtering approach won't catch all AI-generated content but should significantly reduce digital clutter in image search results. Users can enable the AI-hiding feature via a new drop-down menu on the image search page or through their account's search settings. Users can also access a "No AI" version of the search engine through a dedicated URL. In addition to hiding AI images, this version disables AI search summaries and other AI-related features. DuckDuckGo recommends bookmarking the page for those who want to see less AI content while browsing. While introducing the new filtering feature on Reddit earlier this week, the DuckDuckGo team said AI features should be private, useful, and optional. People should be able to decide for themselves how much AI content they want in their lives - or whether they want any at all. DuckDuckGo is a US-based search engine focused on privacy and user choice. It doesn't track browsing habits, keeps favicons anonymous, and discards user geolocation data. In recent years, the company has expanded with browser extensions and a custom DuckDuckGo browser for both desktop and mobile platforms. DuckDuckGo also offers a way to anonymously access ChatGPT and other popular chatbot services through its Duck.ai platform. The company says it does not use conversation data to train new AI models and has set up the service to keep sessions private.

DuckDuckGo Is Hoping to Win Over AI-Hating Searchers

Are you tired of AI-generated images cluttering your search results? Lucky for you, there's a way out of the slop, and it starts with forgetting about Google. DuckDuckGo, the privacy-focused search engine and web browser, recently rolled out a new feature that allows users to hide images made with AI from their search results. You can try it yourself right now by running a search on the DuckDuckGo search engine and going to the images tab. You’ll now see a new drop-down menu option titled “AI Images†that can be toggled to hide or show AI images. “Our goal is to help you find what you’re looking for. You should decide for yourself how much AI you want in your life â€" or if you want any at all,†the company said in an announcement posted on the social media site X (formerly Twitter). The company’s filter uses open-source blocklists to screen out the AI-generated images. Although it won’t catch everything, it should significantly cut down the number of AI images in search results. The news comes as AI slop has been proliferating at an exponential rate. And while it's, at the very least, an eyesore, the bigger concern is how convincingly real these images are becoming. There has even been debate whether AI images should be watermarked by default to make them easier to spot. But, some argue that if the watermarks are easy to remove, they could backfire and give some AI-generated images a false sense of authenticity. Android Authority reported last week that OpenAI is already testing a watermark feature for images generated in the beta version of ChatGPT’s Android app. Additionally, the site speculates that the ability to save images without a watermark might be granted to paid users. However, since the feature hasn’t been officially announced, its final form, or whether it launches at all, could still change. DuckDuckGo launched in 2008 and now offers web browsers on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android. Its browsers come full with several privacy features, including blocking third-party trackers, stopping targeted ads (even on YouTube), and it doesn't track searches. The company says it makes money from private ads on its search engine. Although the company puts an emphasis on online privacy, it is not necessarily anti-AI. In its announcement of its AI image filter, the company said its philosophy for AI features is that they should be “private, useful, and optional.†The company already offers several AI features, including Duck.ai, which lets users access custom versions of popular models from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Mistral, while keeping their conversations anonymous and untracked.

Analysis | Try these hidden 'NOPE' buttons to stop AI content

How to turn off AI in Google and DuckDuckGo web search results -- plus a no-AI nuclear option. Let's say that you're worried about artificial intelligence turning us into mushy-brained monsters, draining resources from the planet, slurping all your data and human knowledge, preying on vulnerable minds, wiping out jobs, choking your favorite websites, lying to you or not being useful. Too bad. AI is becoming increasingly unavoidable in websites and apps that you use. That's why it feels so freeing on those rare occasions when you're actually given a choice: Go with the robots or absolutely nope. I'll fill you in on lesser-known options that let you hide AI-generated material in Google and DuckDuckGo web searches. These opt-outs can be fiddly but it's rad to have the power over AI for once. <b>Google without the AI summaries</b> Skip to end of carousel Shira Ovide (Patrick Dias for The Washington Post) Tech Friend writer Shira Ovide gives you advice and context to make technology work for you. Sign up for the free Tech Friend newsletter. Contact her securely on Signal at ShiraOvide.70 End of carousel When Google started to spit out AI-generated summaries at the top of many search results last year, the company also gave you a (well-hidden) option to see only plain vanilla website links and text instead. This "Web" filter is a flashback to how Google search worked many years ago - if you can ever find it. Ernie Smith, editor of the Tedium newsletter about technology and obscurities, figured out a cheat code that shows you the no-AI Google search results without fumbling around in Google's tabs or settings with every search. You might still get text advertisements under "sponsored." Mostly, though, you'll see Google's suggested web links without AI summaries or other doodads crammed into search results like product images that are ads in disguise. You can hop back to the AI-and-other search results by hitting the "All" option that's just under the search terms, as in the images above. You have at least two relatively simple ways to get AI-free Google search results: 1) Type your search into the website that Smith created, UDM14.com, named after the cheat code. This takes you straight to Google's website-only search results that are tricky to find otherwise. Bookmark the website and use it for some or all of your Google searches. This does send information on what you're searching to Smith, who says it's not being collected or saved. 2) With certain web browsers, you can change your settings to make the no-AI search results the standard every time. Smith has instructions or check out the One Tiny Win section below. Smith cautioned that these tricks may work inconsistently or stop working at some point. There are other tips you can find online to exclude AI summaries from your Google searches, including adding "-AI" or sprinkling curse words into your search terms. Smith said those tricks aren't really effective. Smith uses Google a lot for work and found the AI "overviews," as Google calls its AI-generated summaries of relevant websites, unwelcome and unhelpful. "In a lot of ways this is a very basic hack," Smith said, "to solve a problem that Google created for its users." A Google spokesman said in the company's testing, people find their search results more useful with features like the AI overviews. The company also says a small fraction of people shift from the standard search results with AI summaries to the web-only option. You might find it handy to have AI-generated summaries in your Google search results. I sometimes do. Smith's hack puts the choice in your hands rather than Google's. <b>Stop AI in DuckDuckGo image and web searches</b> Last week, the privacy-focused search engine DuckDuckGo gave you a new power to filter out AI-generated material from image searches. This is a big deal because people have complained about searches in Google Images, Pinterest and other visual sites churning up slop and AI knockoffs. (Pinterest said it's experimenting with options to see fewer AI-modified images.) In DuckDuckGo's settings you can make it standard to hide AI images in searches, or pick that option in each image search. DuckDuckGo says this feature uses available online lists of AI material that won't catch all AI-generated images. Unlike Google, DuckDuckGo also lets you easily and permanently turn off AI-generated summaries in your search results. (From DuckDuckGo's settings, choose "never" for what it calls AI Assist. You can also hide DuckDuckGo's chatbot.) Gisele Navarro, managing editor of product-review website HouseFresh and an astute observer of web trends, said it's refreshing that DuckDuckGo gives you the freedom to stop AI material. "As a user, I feel listened to and allowed to make my choice," Navarro said. "As a web publisher, I feel my human content is being appreciated and given the chance to be found." One tiny win These instructions are for Chrome, the most popular web browser and the standard for Android phones. With these changes to your settings, Google or DuckDuckGo web search results should automatically exclude AI material. The DuckDuckGo one is essentially the nope-to-AI nuclear option, hiding all AI search features from your face entirely. None of these options work if you're using the Safari browser for Mac or iPhones. Smith has more instructions here. For Google search: In Chrome's web browser for a computer, click the three dots in the top right corner. * Settings → Search engine → Manage search engines and site search → scroll down to "Site search" and choose "Add." * You can make the "name" and "shortcut" fields anything you like. Example: Name: AINOPE Shortcut: Gminus URL: https://www.google.com/search?q=%s&udm=14 Then click "Add. * You should see that option show up now under Site search. Click the three dots on the right and choose "Make default." For DuckDuckGo search: In Chrome's web browser for a computer, click the three dots in the top right corner. * Settings → Search engine → Manage search engines and site search → scroll down to "Site search" and choose "Add." * You can make the "name" and "shortcut" fields anything you like. Example:

DuckDuckGo now lets you block AI images in its search results

Privacy-focused search engine DuckDuckGo has launched a new search filter that allows users to prevent AI-generated images being shown in image searches. The feature was added after users complained that AI images make it harder to find relevant results. The setting can be found under the "Images" tab, where a new option called "AI images" lets users choose to show or hide AI content. The filter is based on open block lists, such as uBlock Origin and Huge AI Blocklist. Because of this, the filtering isn't comprehensive -- some AI-generated images may still make it through in search results. DuckDuckGo's philosophy is that "you should decide for yourself how much AI you want in your life -- or if you want any at all." The company has also shared that more search filters are planned for the future, but hasn't shed any light on what those other filters might be just yet.

DuckDuckGo becomes first browser to add AI image filter -- here's what you need to know

This new feature can hide all AI images from your DuckDuckGo searches AI-generated images are everywhere. The internet is full of them, and as they become harder to identify, it's going to cause all kinds of chaos. But, the privacy-focused DuckDuckGo browser seems to think it has the solution. Known for its security-forward protection, DuckDuckGo has taken a strong angle on the use of AI. Most recently, this has focused in on AI images, and users can now filter out all AI art from your searches. This can be done through a change of settings. Head to the image tab on DuckDuckGo and you'll see a drop-down menu titled "AI images". Users can then choose to either show or hide content with this update. "Our philosophy about AI features is private, useful, and optional." Our goal is to help you find what you're looking for. You should decide for yourself how much AI you want in your life - or if you want any at all," stated DuckDuckGo on the company's X page. "The filter relies on manually curated open-source blocklists, including the "nuclear" list, provided by uBlockOrigin and uBlacklist Huge AI Blocklist. While it won't catch 100% of AI-generated results, it will greatly reduce the number of AI-generated images you see." In the same announcement, the company showed a video searching for baby peacocks, filtering out all of the AI images. This is a thinly veiled joke, referring to a problem where Google image search became full of fake images of baby peacocks. Not too long ago, AI images were instantly identifiable. Hands had too many fingers, faces were blurred and the texture of the images were all completely off. Now is a different story. Most of the leading AI generators are incredibly capable and, a vast majority of the time, can produce an image that is convincing, even when you look into the details of it. Companies are trying different methods to solve this. Some are adding watermarks or digital identifiers. Some like DuckDuckGo are looking to identify them after they've been published, making these images clear to the public. This is a problem that is likely to grow in the following years. For now, AI video has a lot of catching up to do to be in a similar level as images, but it really won't be long until the same conversation is happening across the board. DuckDuckGo has said it plans on adding additional features in the future, but it hasn't made it clear exactly what it will be.

Sick of seeing AI images everywhere online? DuckDuckGo will let you filter out the slop from your search results

Users can now remove AI-generated images from their search results Popular privacy-first search engine DuckDuckGo is rolling out a new feature that lets users remove AI-generated images from their search results. On X, the company tweeted, "Our philosophy about AI features is "private, useful, and optional." Our goal is to help you find what you're looking for. You should decide for yourself how much AI you want in your life - or if you want any at all. To that end, we've added a new setting to hide AI-generated images in your results when you're searching for images on DuckDuckGo." The new AI filter feature has already started rolling out, and you can access it simply by searching on DuckDuckGo and selecting "hide AI images" from a new drop-down. Considering the rapid rise of image- and video-generation tools on the internet, this new feature could be a compelling reason to finally switch from Google to DuckDuckGo. If you're sick of all the AI content hogging your image searches, DuckDuckGo might be the way to go. That said, the company says, "The filter relies on manually curated open-source blocklists, including the 'nuclear' list, provided by uBlockOrigin and uBlacklist Huge AI Blocklist." This means it won't catch 100% of all AI-generated content, but DuckDuckGo says, "it will greatly reduce the number of AI-generated images you see." DuckDuckGo is planning to add more filters in the future, which should improve the rate at which the company's algorithm is able to weed out AI-generated content. I've started to notice more and more AI-generated images in Google search over the last few months, and with tools like ChatGPT's image generation and Google's Veo 3 video generation easily accessible, online platforms are becoming more and more littered with AI slop. While DuckDuckGo won't solve all your issues with AI images overnight, this new feature is the first step in giving users the choice on how they want to experience AI. If you can't stand AI images, DuckDuckGo might be the solution you've been waiting for.

DuckDuckGo Can Now Filter Out AI Images From Search Results

Photographers can find AI images offensive, which is hardly surprising, given that fake but hyper-realistic photos are only made possible by taking high-quality, copyrighted pictures -- without permission -- and feeding them to an algorithm. To make matters worse, AI images have started turning up alongside real photos in internet image searches. But one browser is taking action against this by introducing an AI image filter. DuckDuckGo, a privacy-focused search engine and browser, has already launched the tool that will block out AI-generated images from users' search results. The company says the update comes in response to user feedback expressing frustration with artificial content cluttering image searches. To use the filter, users can perform a search on DuckDuckGo, navigate to the Images tab, and access a new drop-down menu labeled "AI images." The menu gives users the option to either "Show" or "Hide" AI-generated content. The setting can also be enabled through the search settings menu by selecting the "Hide AI-Generated Images" option. "The filter relies on manually curated open-source blocklists, including the 'nuclear' list, provided by uBlock Origin and uBlacklist Huge AI Blocklist," DuckDuckGo says in a post on X. "While it won't catch 100% of AI-generated results, it will greatly reduce the number of AI-generated images you see." The update arrives amid growing concerns over the proliferation of AI-generated media online, often referred to as "AI slop" -- a term used to describe low-quality content created with generative AI tools. DuckDuckGo has indicated plans to expand its filtering options but did not offer further details. The company's example of the feature shows a search for "baby peacock," a nod to a previous controversy involving Google. There was also an icident where a bizarre, AI selfie of "Tank Man" rose to the top of Google Image Search as well as for singer Israel Kamakawiwoʻole.

Fed up with AI slop? Here's how DuckDuckGo can help

If you've had enough of AI-generated images filling up your search results, then the DuckDuckGo search engine is here to help. The Pennsylvania-based company recently announced an easy way to filter out AI-generated images from search results on its privacy-focused search engine. Recommended Videos To try it, simply make a search on DuckDuckGo and then head to the Images tab. You'll see a new drop-down option that says, "AI images: show." Select it and then select "AI images: hide," and then voilà, your page of images will appear slop-free! Alternatively -- and this is a neat touch -- if you want the feature auto-enabled on DuckDuckGo's search engine, all you need to do is bookmark noai.duckduckgo.com. This page also hides DuckDuckGo's AI-assisted summaries and AI chat icons. "Our philosophy about AI features is 'private, useful, and optional,'" DuckDuckGo said in a post on X announcing the new feature. "Our goal is to help you find what you're looking for. You should decide for yourself how much AI you want in your life -- or if you want any at all." The company said that its new filter blocks AI-generated images by using community-made lists that identify known AI image sources. It checks images against these lists and then hides from its search results the ones flagged as AI-generated. It added that while it won't catch 100% of AI-generated results, "it will greatly reduce the number of AI-generated images you see." DuckDuckGo's attempt to give people more control over the presence of AI-generated images in search results is a notable effort by the company toward preserving the integrity and usability of its search engine as the internet becomes increasingly filled with content created by AI tools. It's great that DuckDuckGo is listening to user gripes about the proliferation of synthetic images, with the new feature sure to prove popular among folks keen for real images in their results. Now, if only the social media sites would follow suit ...

You Can Use DuckDuckGo to Remove AI Images From Your Search Results

When I search for an image online, I'm usually either looking for a reference or for accurate, copyright-free material that I can throw into a project before I post or present it. AI images don't help me do either of those things. And on the off chance I do need an AI image, it's not hard to generate one myself using a custom prompt. So I can't think of a scenario where I'd want to see AI images in my search results. Luckily, it seems DuckDuckGo agrees with me. The privacy-focused search engine and browser company recently announced a new feature for its Images tab that allows you to hide AI-generated images by default. While there are ways to hide AI from your Google searches, unless you install extensions, you have to go out of your way to use them every time you make a new search. With DuckDuckGo's solution, it's set-it-and-forget-it. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. Just go to the DuckDuckGo website, enter your search, click on the Images tab, then in the settings toolbar below the search bar, click on AI images and choose Hide from the dropdown menu. DuckDuckGo will then remember your settings for all future searches. Alternately, click on the hamburger menu in the top-right corner, click on Settings under Search, and toggle on Hide AI-Generated Images. Or, you can just start your search from noai.duckduckgo.com. The company does warn you that its "block list is not exhaustive," so a few AI-generated results might slip through the cracks, but I immediately noticed a big difference in my attempts. While searching for tabby kittens, I managed to cut a good four or five AI images off of the front page of results, including some with weird, cartoony proportions that wouldn't really help me if I just wanted to know what a baby tabby looks like. It wasn't quite as noticeable as the "baby peacock" example DuckDuckGo gave in its announcement, but it's welcome assurance that what I'm seeing is probably real. DuckDuckGo says its block list for hiding AI generated images relies on open-source work, including the uBlockOrigin and uBlacklist Huge AI Blocklist. This is a manually curated list that targets 1,000+ sites known for posting AI generated content, so while it won't catch everything, it's a great start. It's also helpful in that it will even work if an image has not necessarily been watermarked as AI. While having a built-in AI blocklist does make DuckDuckGo attractive for AI skeptics, it's worth noting that DuckDuckGo is not necessarily anti-AI, and in fact offers a few AI tools of its own. However, in its announcement for the new image filtering feature, DuckDuckGo said it is committed to making its forays into AI "private, useful, and optional."

DuckDuckGo now lets you hide all AI-generated images

DuckDuckGo introduced a new setting, enabling users to hide AI-generated images from its image search results, aligning with its "private, useful, and optional" AI philosophy. Users can access this feature directly within the image search interface. After performing an image search on DuckDuckGo, a dropdown menu appears on the Images tab. This menu provides options to either "show" or "hide" AI images from the displayed results. The system for filtering these images utilizes manually curated open-source blocklists. These include resources such as uBlockOrigin and the "nuclear" list from uBlacklist Huge AI Blocklist. While this filtering mechanism significantly reduces the presence of AI-generated images, it does not guarantee 100% removal of all such content. Beyond the immediate dropdown, the filter can also be activated through DuckDuckGo's main search settings by selecting "Hide AI-Generated Images." Furthermore, users can bookmark noai.duckduckgo.com. This action automatically enables the image filter, disables AI-assisted summaries, and hides Duck.ai chat icons, providing a comprehensive AI-reduced browsing experience.

DuckDuckGo Will Now Let You Hide AI Images From Search Results This Way

The search engine platform said that it wants AI content to be optional DuckDuckGo, the privacy-focused search engine, is now letting users hide artificial intelligence (AI)-generated images. Last week, the Pennsylvania, US-based company announced a new filter on its image search interface that can hide AI images so users can only browse real or non-synthetic photos. The filter is based on a large list of websites and blogs that are known for posting AI-generated images. Additionally, DuckDuckGo is also offering a new domain of its search platform where all of the first-party AI features are turned off by default. In a post on X (formerly known as Twitter), the official handle of the search engine announced the new filter. Calling the company's vision for AI features "private, useful, and optional," DuckDuckGo highlighted that it wants users to have control over the AI-generated content they see while they browse the web. This new "AI images" filter can be found and activated from the image search tab on its website. After users run a query and enter the images tab, they will now see a new option in the filters menu underneath the text query box. Next to the Safe Search option, the "AI Images show" text can be seen. Tapping on the dropdown menu allows users to either hide the AI-generated images or continue to show them. Alternatively, if users would prefer not to see any AI-generated images at all, they can go to Search Settings by clicking the gear icon, and then navigating to the "AI features" option at the bottom. Tapping on "Manage" opens a new interface which allows users to permanently hide AI-generated images as long as they are logged into their account. DuckDuckGo's AI images filter relies on manually curated open-source blocklists, the company said. Additionally, the company has also leveraged the list of known websites that post AI content from uBlockOrigin and the uBlacklist Huge AI Blocklist. The platform acknowledges that the filter might not be able to remove 100 percent of the AI-generated images from search results, but emphasises that it will greatly reduce the number of synthetic images. Separately, the search engine also introduced a new domain that has all the first-party AI features turned off by default. This means users will not see AI images, AI-assisted summaries, and the Duck.ai chat icons are hidden.

Sick of fake AI pics? DuckDuckGo's new filter lets you hide AI images for good

DuckDuckGo has introduced a new feature allowing users to filter out AI-generated images from their search results. This update addresses user concerns about the increasing prevalence of AI-generated content hindering their ability to find authentic images. The filter utilizes open-source blocklists to significantly reduce, though not entirely eliminate, AI-generated images, with plans for future enhancements. Are you sick of AI-generated pictures getting in the way of your image searches? DuckDuckGo has heard your complaints loud and clear. DuckDuckGo, a search engine that cares about privacy, just added a new feature that lets users hide AI-generated images from results. You can now conceal AI-generated images in search results using DuckDuckGo. DuckDuckGo is introducing a new feature that allows users to exclude AI images from search results. According to the company, the feature is being introduced in response to user feedback indicating that AI images may impede users' ability to find what they're looking for. By performing a search on DuckDuckGo and selecting the Images tab, users can access the new setting. They will then be presented with a new drop-down menu labeled "AI images." After that, users can select "show" or "hide" to indicate whether they wish to view AI content. By selecting the "Hide AI-Generated Images" option in their search settings, users can also activate the filter, as per a report by Tech Crunch. DuckDuckGo's latest feature coincides with the proliferation of AI slop, low-quality media content created with generative AI technology, on the internet. According to a post on X by DuckDuckGo, "the filter relies on manually curated open-source blocklists, including the 'nuclear' list, provided by uBlockOrigin and uBlacklist Huge AI Blocklist." "While it won't catch 100% of AI-generated results, it will greatly reduce the number of AI-generated images you see. " DuckDuckGo stated that it intends to add more filters in the future, but it gave no details. It's important to note that DuckDuckGo's example of the new feature shows an image search for a baby peacock. This is probably a reference to Google's controversy last year when it displayed more artificial intelligence-generated images of baby peacocks than actual images when users searched for the bird. DuckDuckGo looks like it's trying to be a cleaner, more reliable option for people who want real images instead of guesses made by machines. People want to be able to filter out AI-generated content as it becomes more common online, and DuckDuckGo now lets them do that. How can I block AI images in DuckDuckGo? Simply navigate to the Images tab and select the new "AI images" dropdown to hide them. Will it remove all AI images? Not entirely, but it will reduce the majority of them using open-source blocklists.