DuckDuckGo search engine lets hide AI-generated images

With the development of generative AI models, images created by neural networks are increasingly appearing on the Internet. Such images are also beginning to penetrate search results, which causes surprise and irritation among users who expect to see real photos. In response to user feedback, the DuckDuckGo search engine has added a new feature – the ability to hide images created by artificial intelligence.

The “Images AI” menu has now appeared in the “Images” tab in DuckDuckGo, where you can choose to show or hide such images. You can also enable the filtering option in the search settings by activating the “Hide images generated by AI” item.

Filtering is carried out using open blocklists compiled by communities. In particular, the uBlockOrigin and uBlacklist Huge AI Blocklist lists are used. While these lists aren’t 100% accurate and may be subject to errors, the system significantly reduces the amount of AI content in search results.

DuckDuckGo said it plans to add more filters in the future, but hasn’t revealed any details yet.

The company also gave an example of how the new feature works — searching for “peacock chick.” This is likely a reference to Google’s recent scandal, when its search results for that query were almost entirely filled with generated images.