AI is becoming increasingly popular as a way of providing instant answers to search queries. With the launch of tools like Microsoft’s Bing and Google’s upcoming Bard, it’s no surprise that more search engines are dipping their toes in generative AI technology. Now DuckDuckGo is getting in the game with its own generative AI tool, DuckAssist.
DuckAssist is a new feature on the privacy-focused search engine that uses Wikipedia as its primary source for instant answers to your questions. The company says the feature scans a specific set of sources, including Wikipedia and Britannica, using DuckDuckGo’s active indexing to generate a brief, sourced summary of what it finds in those sites above the regular private search results.
It won’t always provide the right answer, however. That’s a big concern for AI programs and services, since it may be difficult for them to get the data they need to produce accurate answers. In order to minimize that risk, DuckAssist is only generating summaries from reliable sources, such as Wikipedia.
The company is partnering with OpenAI, the creators of ChatGPT, and Anthropic to power DuckAssist, which will kick in whenever users ask a question that could be answered by the online encyclopedia. The AI will provide a quick answer that can be read on the search results page, or a summary that you can share via the provided link in the summaries box.
Unlike other generative AI search tools that use thousands of websites to generate text, DuckAssist will only source information from reliable sources like Wikipedia and Britannica in an attempt to reduce the likelihood that it will make mistakes. This restrained approach is meant to prevent it from using incorrect information, or “hallucinating” the wrong answer to a user’s query.
According to Founder Gabe Weinberg, the company is most likely to see DuckAssist in search results when users are asking straightforward questions that have clear answers in Wikipedia. The internet company expects the tool to occasionally make mistakes, especially when it tries to answer complex questions, but users are encouraged to share their feedback during the beta period so DuckDuckGo can continue improving the product.
When DuckAssist does show up, it will use the most recent full version of Wikipedia as its primary data source, and you’ll need to have the most recent version installed on your device to use it. You can disable DuckAssist from your search settings if you don’t want to use it.
The feature is currently only available in beta, but DuckDuckGo says it will be rolled out to all users in the weeks ahead. The search engine is inviting everyone to try it out and share their feedback in an anonymous manner through the provided link under the summaries box, so you can help them improve the product.
The new tool is designed to be used in the DuckDuckGo app, and it’s powered by ChatGPT, a generative AI software that’s been used to create chatbots for services like Netflix. Unlike Microsoft’s botched Bing AI integration, DuckDuckGo says its new tool won’t collect personal information or require a login. And it’ll keep your search and browsing history anonymous in the data shared with its partners.