DuckDuckGo unveils 'AI Chat' for anonymous interaction with popular chatbots
DuckDuckGo, a privacy-focused search engine, has rolled out an 'AI Chat' feature, enabling users to anonymously interact with AI models such as GPT-3.5 Turbo and Claude 3 Haiku and two open-source models (Meta Llama 3 and Mistral's Mixtral 8x7B). The company guarantees that these private chats are not stored and are inaccessible for training purposes by the AI model providers. This feature eliminates the need for users to manually opt out of data storage through the settings menu.
Anonymity through unique IP address replacement
DuckDuckGo ensures user anonymity by calling the chat models on behalf of the users, substituting their IP addresses with its own. The company states, "This way it looks like the requests are coming from us and not you." While AI providers "may store chats temporarily," they cannot trace them back to individual users due to this unique approach.
DuckDuckGo's privacy policy ensures removal of personal data
According to DuckDuckGo's privacy policy, all metadata containing personal information, including IP addresses, is removed before sending a query. The company also has agreements with AI providers to eliminate saved chats within 30 days and prevent them from being used for model training. Users also have the option to clear their chat history using the fire button, mirroring a feature in DuckDuckGo's browser.
How to access 'AI Chat'
Users can engage with the 'AI Chat' feature via duck.ai or by using the "!ai" or "!chat bang" shortcuts on DuckDuckGo's search engine top menu bar. If needed, 'AI Chat' can be disabled in the settings menu.
DuckDuckGo may introduce a paid plan
While the 'AI Chat' feature is currently free with a "daily limit," DuckDuckGo has hinted at introducing a paid plan for higher limits and access to more advanced models. The company also plans to expand its offerings by adding more chat models, including those hosted by DuckDuckGo or its users. This development follows last year's launch of DuckAssist, an AI-generated answer feature within DuckDuckGo's search engine.
