How to Use DuckDuckGo AI: Complete Guide, Privacy Tips, and Tricks

DuckDuckGo has established itself as a synonym for privacy in web browsing.. His leap into the world of Artificial Intelligence Not only does DuckDuckGo maintain this premise, but it also reinforces it, making its AI one of the most attractive options for users looking to protect their data while taking advantage of the capabilities of advanced chatbots. In this article, we take an in-depth look at how DuckDuckGo's AI works, how to use it, its advantages, and how it compares to other tools on the market.

If you are curious to experiment with artificial intelligence without compromising your anonymityIf you're a techie and want to know how much you can trust services that integrate multiple models like ChatGPT, Claude, Llama, or Mixtral, stay with us. Here's the definitive guide to using Duck.ai, DuckDuckGo's innovative AI.

What is DuckDuckGo AI and what sets it apart from the rest?

DuckDuckGo has taken an important step by integrating its AI service, known as Duck.ai or AI Chat, directly into its search engine and through a dedicated website.The main difference from its competitors is not only the AI ​​models used, but also the absolute focus on privacy:

• You do not need to register or provide personal data. to access the chat. Creating accounts is also not required.
• Conversations are not stored on their servers or used to train models.. Only if you manually save a chat will it be recorded locally and for a limited time (maximum 30 days).
• The user's IP address is not visible to the providers of the AI ​​models.. Requests are sent through DuckDuckGo's IP address, acting as a proxy that hides your information.
• The agreement with supplier companies (OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta, Mistral, among others) forces the deletion of conversations and prevents their use for training.

This puts Duck.ai in a prime position for those looking to take advantage of the Generative AI without being tracked or profiled. This is especially relevant in sensitive areas such as education, the professional environment, or for those who simply wish to maintain their digital anonymity.

Available AI models and their specificities

By using DuckDuckGo's AI, You can choose from several cutting-edge artificial intelligence models:

• ChatGPT-3.5 Turbo and GPT-4o mini (OpenAI): known for their speed, understanding of instructions and ability to solve language tasks and programming.
• Claude 3 Haiku (Anthropic): Stands out for summaries and contextual understanding, ideal for educational queries and detailed explanations.
• Llama 3 (Meta): Open models such as Llama 3.1 70B and Llama 3.3, with good efficiency in text processing and visual tasks.
• Mixtral 8x7B (Mistral AI): a powerful open source option, developed in Europe, that competes in quality with proprietary models.

The user is free to choose the model that best suits their needs., something unusual in AI assistants, where you can generally only access the vendor's own model.

Furthermore, Open source models offer greater transparency, and DuckDuckGo recommends taking advantage of them since their performance, in many cases, rivals proprietary ones.

How to access and start using DuckDuckGo AI?

There are several ways to use Duck.ai, both from any browser and integrated into systems and extensions:

• Direct access via web: Just enter https://duck.ai or from the DuckDuckGo homepage by selecting the “Chat” tab.
• From the search engine: When you search, you can tap “Chat” to ask questions directly about the results, or open an anonymous conversation.
• Browser extensions: There are options like “DuckDuckGo AI Chat on Sidebar” for Firefox and other browsers, which allow you to always have the chat available in the sidebar.
• Apps official: The service is integrated into the latest versions of the DuckDuckGo browser for Android, iOS, MacOS and Windows. There is no app for it yet. Linux, although you can use it from the browser on this system.

The process is extremely simple: You don't need to register or accept complicated permissionsSimply accept the initial user agreement and you can start chatting immediately. Before starting each conversation, you can choose your preferred AI model, which you can change at any time.

Steps to use Duck.ai in browsers like Firefox

Firefox, a favorite browser among privacy seekers, allows you to integrate Duck.ai in two ways:

• Using advanced configuration (about:config): Enable AI support in “Firefox Labs”, then go to about:config, search for browser.ml.chat.provider and write the URL https://duck.ai as a supplier.
• With the DuckDuckGo AI Chat Sidebar extension: Install from the add-on store and access chat from the side panel, with smoother integration.

Both options allow you to have Duck.ai on hand, although The experience is more complete with the extension, as it keeps the rest of the AI ​​assistants active in the browser.

Additionally, you can pin Duck.ai as a favorite or pinned tab, and even open it in incognito mode if you're looking for a greater degree of anonymity.

Featured uses and tips to get the most out of it

DuckDuckGo's AI is useful for both common queries and more advanced tasks:

• Summarize complex texts, translate information, write emails or suggest titles for projects, publications, etc.
• Resolving educational doubts, perform quick searches for data from reliable sources such as Wikipedia and receive explanations in natural language.
• Programming, code analysis and assistance with technological projects, depending on the model chosen.
• Generating ideas, writing essays, brainstorming and prepare conversations or presentations.

Duck.ai includes clickable query suggestions as soon as you start a new chat, making the experience easier. You can select tasks like "Write code," "Find basic data," or "Prepare for a conversation," among others. Each time you start a new chat, the suggestions may vary, providing helpful ideas to get you started.

Additionally, DuckDuckGo recommends certain Tricks to capture the attention of the assistant:

• Always ask your question in the form of a direct question.This way, you're more likely to receive an AI-generated response, not just the standard search engine results.
• Add "wiki" at the end in topics related to reliable data, to force the consultation of the Wikipedia database.
• Click “Ask” or the corresponding option to generate the response instantly if auto-response mode is disabled.

Settings and privacy: control in the hands of the user

Duck.ai allows for certain customizations to fine-tune your experience:

• configuration pane to enable or disable DuckAssist (the AI ​​feature built into the search engine), typing animation, and the auto-reply feature.
• Recent chats: You can keep the history locally for convenience, or disable the option if you prefer not to have anything recorded.
• Personalizing responses: You can indicate whether you prefer a more technical or informal tone or detailed summaries.
• Step-by-step answers: Ask the wizard to break down information step by step to better understand complex processes.

And above all, privacy is absolute: Chats always go through DuckDuckGo's IP, personal metadata is removed before sending the request, and no chat is used for training Neither DuckDuckGo nor the providers. If you save a conversation, it's deleted after 30 days, and contractual agreements prevent unlawful data retention.

Usage Limits, Future Plans, and Warnings

At present, DuckDuckGo AI is free and without registration, but there is a daily limit on the number of visits. This limit is applied to protect the experience and ensure responsible use. The company has announced that it is considering introducing a paid option for intensive users, with unlimited access and possibly even more advanced models.

DuckDuckGo does not filter or modify the generated responses; they may occasionally contain inaccurate, offensive, or biased information. It is recommended to always verify the data obtained, especially in educational or professional settings.

The chatbot is ideal for the educational field because it meets the requirements of the new European Union AI Regulation for "high-risk" sectors such as education, ensuring data protection, transparency, and the right to privacy.

Comparison with other market alternatives

Unlike giants like Google, Bing or ChatGPT, DuckDuckGo's AI never creates custom profiles, tracks your activity, or retains conversations.This is a significant leap forward from competitors where each chat is stored and can be used to create user models. You can learn more about the best alternative search engines to Google to diversify your search and privacy experience.

Services like Duck.ai also offer a wider variety of models to choose from, while other assistants only allow access to their own engine. They also don't require registration or credentials, streamlining access and safeguarding your anonymity from the start.

And for those looking for easy integration into Firefox or alternative browsers, DuckDuckGo offers greater direct compatibility, thanks to its extensions and quick setup methods.