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

DuckDuckGo, the privacy-centric search engine, has unveiled an innovative feature that allows users to exclude AI-generated images from their search results. This new option comes as a direct response to user feedback indicating that AI images often hinder their search experience. To utilize this setting, users simply need to perform a search on DuckDuckGo and navigate to the Images tab. Here, they will encounter a new dropdown menu labeled 'AI images,' where they can select either 'show' or 'hide' to control the appearance of AI content in their results. Additionally, the filter can be activated through the search settings by selecting the 'Hide AI-Generated Images' option. This move by DuckDuckGo is particularly timely, as the internet has seen an influx of what is termed 'AI slop'—a reference to subpar media generated through artificial intelligence. According to DuckDuckGo, the filter utilizes a combination of carefully curated open-source blocklists, including the comprehensive 'nuclear' list provided by uBlockOrigin and the Huge AI Blocklist from uBlacklist. While the filter may not catch every AI-generated image, DuckDuckGo asserts that it will significantly decrease the prevalence of such content in searches. The company has hinted at the potential for adding more filtering options in the future, though specific details remain under wraps. Interestingly, DuckDuckGo's promotional example for this feature centers around a search for a baby peacock, a nod to a previous controversy involving Google, which faced criticism for featuring a higher number of AI-generated images than authentic ones in similar searches.