I’ve been using Brave Search supplemented by Startpage for the past 2+ years. When I search for something, I want to get results for credible webpages, not a summary of unknown quality. I liked the previous AI inclusion because it was instant, didn’t take up much space, and I could quickly navigate to the websites referenced in it, but with the new feature it takes up more space, is slower, and not really what I want out of a search engine.
As soon as the feature was rolled out I disabled it in settings, but the AI button stays visible, I get autocomplete specifically for Answer with AI and I get frequent notifications to try out the new AI feature. An opt-out toggle should not mean that I still am pestered to use the feature I opted out of.
This is really annoying, and I’m probably going to end up switching to Startpage or SearXNG or something.
Some images (opted out of AI features):
DDG sold out and allowed trackers on the mobile app. It’s a slow slide but it’s inevitable
I use the web site through Firefox Focus, I’m happy with that combo.
Then again I also have a pi-hole on my network so… Yeah
pi-holes can’t stop websites you use from collecting your data. they’ve already started accepting cash for things (by way of mobile browser.). it’s only a matter of time before it slides into more things- if it hasn’t already.
currently I’m using start-page and it’s good enough for my needs. The advantage there is they’re in the EU, and have enhanced privacy requirements
Edit: I’ve used Firefox since their first beta. Now I feel old…