HAS Google I/O last monththe SEO industry was waiting for Google to release AI mode to the general public, and the fatalistic view that this will end SEO.
Over the past two years, AI has driven research toward structural change. Every software tool integrates generative AI as a new product feature for the default interface, and there seems to be a new AI measurement or optimization tool every other day.
But we find that users react both positively and negatively to the idea that AI is seemingly being imposed on them. DuckDuckGo reports that visits to its No AI research have tripled since Google announced Smart Search.
How Everyday Users Interact with AI
As an industry, we are focused on this narrative of total disruption, and we are seeing disruption and a move away from what was our norm, but the research shows a fragmented adoption of AIrather than general adoption.
For simple, low-risk tasks, like finding a local plumber or brainstorming dinner ideas, people are happy to use AI.
But when it comes to Your Money or Your Life (YMYL) Themesusers tend to return to traditional search engines. Research shows that 57% of users prefer traditional search engines when they seek information that affects their well-being.
The tripling of traffic to DuckDuckGo’s “No AI” search page is a direct response to the fact that users have no choice.
When software imposes AI on users without allowing them to deactivate it, users feel trappedespecially if they don’t trust AI yet.
Instead of accepting it, they are actively turning to alternative search engines and browser extensions that provide the clean, link-based experience they prefer.
See also: Who trusts AI? New study highlights demographic trends
Why people are hesitant to trust AI
To understand this decline, we need to look at how the human mind responds to new technologies (and many thanks to Julia Panozzowho helped me find and research these studies).
The 5 obstacles to trust
In a study published in Nature Human Behavior, researchers According to Freitas et al. (2023) examined the psychological barriers that prevent people from trusting AI.
There are two main reasons that stand out from search engines and AI.
The first is “opacity,” which simply means that AI is a “black box.”
When a search engine gives a summarized answer without clearly showing its sources, it is difficult to see how it obtained its information. The human mind naturally seeks transparency, especially when making important decisions.
Second, there is the threat to our “agency” or sense of control. When search engines force AI chat on users, we feel like our choice is being taken away from us. To regain control, users are fleeing to alternative search engines that respect their independence.
Security-focused thinking and technology anxiety
Search by Sapru (2026) in Technology in Society examines why some people feel intense anxiety about AI.
The study divides users into two groups:
- Promotion-focused people who love trying new and exciting tools.
- People focused on prevention, who prioritize security, precision and simplicity.
For security-conscious users, a search engine is just a basic tool to get things done, not a toy to play with. Imposing an AI layer on these users makes them anxious.
They fear being misled or having to learn a complicated new system, leading them to seek out “non-AI” options.
Recognition does not equal usage
A study by Yin (2025) in Frontiers in Education shows that recognizing that an AI tool is useful does not mean that a person will actually use it.
The researchers traced step by step how users actively avoid AI:
- Perceived technological threat.
- Perceived avoidability.
- Fear of generative artificial intelligence (GAI).
- Show hesitation.
When people think AI threatens their privacycapacity for reflection or independence, they are looking for a way out.
If they see a way to avoid AI, they will adopt it. The sudden increase in DuckDuckGo traffic can be seen as people taking an available escape route to avoid the threat.
Outside our bubble, AI adoption is happening, but we shouldn’t panic
It’s easy for SEOs and other tech-savvy professionals to assume that the rest of the world is adopting AI at the same pace as us.
from Microsoft Global AI Diffusion Report shows that despite billions of dollars spent on AI, the vast majority of the world has not adopted it.
Regular active use of generative AI represents 17.8% of the world’s working age population (15-64 years). This means that more than four in five working-age adults worldwide do not regularly use generative AI tools.
This also means that many of our clients who are concerned about the public (with purchasing power) moving away from traditional research in favor of alternatives to AI, are mostly not adopting AI on a regular basis.
A large number of users still rely on the “traditional web” and methods to achieve their connection goal.
As an industry, we are going through many changes at a rapid pace, and users are experiencing the same changes and the same barrage of AI solutions to their problems. We need to adopt adaptive and forward-thinking approaches, but we are not yet in panic mode.
More resources:
Featured image: Collagery/Shutterstock
