DuckDuckGo has a No AI version: https://noai.duckduckgo.com.

@bosquebill Weird that you can’t add it. I tried using the settings to turn off AI, but every time I dumped my cookies they would reappear, even if I had an exception for DuckDuckGo’s cookies. I tried using the cloud back up for AI settings, and they still reappeared. Perhaps it was somehow user error, but I just got so annoyed at the lack of consistency and repeatedly having to turn AI off again.

@ariaflame I tried using the settings to turn off AI, but every time I dumped my cookies they would reappear, even if I had an exception for DuckDuckGo’s cookies. I tried using the cloud back up for AI settings, and they still reappeared. Perhaps it was somehow user error, but I just got so annoyed at the lack of consistency and repeatedly having to turn AI off again.

@kelvin0mql Hear, hear!

@johnbloor @morgrugyn Because I get AI suggestions every time I do a search in regular DuckDuckGo. I don’t want to waste natural resources every time I do a search.

@skylark13 What kind of suggestions? (I tried clicking the link, but it just wants to download it JSON file.)

@booboo I meant default search engine, not default browser.

@breitensteinart

Search suggestions is when you start typing in the search / address bar and some suggestions appear without you having to actually go to the search page.

It's not a link you click, if you add a custom search engine for "noai.duckduckgo.com" you would put this in the Suggestions API field. (right-click or long-press and copy to get the whole thing).

@breitensteinart Hmm, https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/settings/save had some information, but in theory if their cookies weren't being cleared it shouldn't have done that.

@breitensteinart I also meant the search engine: https://www.startpage.com/

It's lean and (at least for me) works very well; it's like early Google, but private.

@breitensteinart Maybe I've figured it out.

At the top of the Search preferences in Firefox there is only a drop-down menu with set choices. Near the bottom of the page is a section Search Shortcuts that includes a box that lists search engines with their keywords; below that is an Add button that I assumed added keywords. But when I tried it that button brought up a dialog where I could fill in a new search engine. I used your suggestion. Then back up at the top the new NoAI-DDG I added was an option in the drop-down box.

That seems to work. Thanks.

There doesn't seem to be the same customization for Safari, but by opening the DuckDuckGo settings from the DDG search page in Safari I did find the same 3 settings to control AI as is in the Firefox browser. And I do have DDG as my default search engine in Safari, so that should hopefully accomplish the same thing.