Perplexity and ChatGPT have serious caveats for reporters turning to the AI software for search, but Duck.Ai has emerged to offer a compelling alternative. (Image via Ordo Digital, Midjourney)
As generative AI continues to reshape how journalists research, verify facts and craft stories, the selection of AI tools that we make available in newsrooms is more important than ever. Once a core staple for many newsrooms, Google Search has devolved into a dysfunctional dumpster fire… with ads. It’s so bad that researchers now study its decline.
While Google tries to remember what a search engine is supposed to do, competitors like Perplexity, with its AI-powered search, have gained traction for its speed and real-time data aggregation. OpenAI’s ChatGPT Search, launched in late 2024, has also emerged as a search competitor. But a March 2025 Columbia Journalism Review (CJR) study found AI search engines collectively provide incorrect answers to more than 60% of queries, with Perplexity’s controversial practices sparking legal action from publishers. These accuracy and ethical concerns make Duck.ai, DuckDuckGo’s new privacy-first AI search tool, a compelling alternative that better aligns with the needs of many newsrooms.
Here’s why I think Duck.ai is the smarter choice for news-based publishers.
1. Ethical Data Practices: Respecting Publishers And Privacy
Perplexity’s reputation in the news industry is thin at best. The Columbia Journalism Review study provided concrete evidence that Perplexity ignored robots.txt directives—it correctly identified all ten excerpts from paywalled National Geographic articles despite being explicitly blocked, and The New York Times (which blocks Perplexity) was still its top-referred news site with 146,000 visits in January 2025. Major publishers like The Wall Street Journal, Wired and Forbes have accused Perplexity of repurposing paywalled articles and fabricating quotes, prompting legal actions from multiple publishers including a lawsuit from Dow Jones and The New York Post in October 2024.
ChatGPT Search has taken a more collaborative approach, partnering with publishers including Associated Press, Axel Springer and Vox Media. However, concerns remain about how content is used and attributed in its responses.
Duck.ai takes a fundamentally different approach. Built by DuckDuckGo, a privacy-focused search platform, it anonymizes queries, strips personal metadata and stores chats locally on your computer instead of on its servers. Independent audits in 2023 verified DuckDuckGo’s no-tracking policy, ensuring journalists can investigate sensitive topics without exposing sources or leaving digital footprints. DuckDuckGo also legally acquires its data.
“When platforms bypass publisher safeguards like robots.txt files and terms of service, they are knowingly undermining the infrastructure that protects and funds quality journalism,” says Claire Ferguson, VP assistant general counsel at Gray Media. “The way forward isn’t just about compensation; it’s about setting a precedent that innovation can’t come at the expense of an ethical marketplace.”
As concerns against Perplexity continue to pile up, Duck.ai’s commitment to ethical data handling offers a unique value proposition for news orgs.
2. Model Flexibility: Cross-Referencing For Accuracy
Journalists need tools that prioritize depth and precision over speed. The Columbia study also found that AI search engines collectively provided incorrect answers to more than 60% of queries. While Perplexity had the lowest error rate at 37%, other tools performed significantly worse (Grok 3 had a 94% error rate). Even more concerning, the study found these tools “presented inaccurate answers with alarming confidence” — ChatGPT incorrectly identified 134 articles but expressed uncertainty only 15 times out of 200 responses.
While ChatGPT Search leverages GPT-4o, users are locked into a single model. Duck.ai’s multi-model approach (GPT-4o, Llama 3.3, Claude 3, etc.) lets reporters cross-reference outputs, helping identify potential inaccuracies and reducing reliance on error-prone single sources. For example, Llama 3.3 excels at parsing policy documents, while GPT-4o offers real-time data retrieval. With Duck.ai, journalists can compare confidence levels across different models with a single click, providing a crucial accuracy check in an era of AI “fuzziness.”
3. Protecting Journalistic Integrity
Perplexity’s AI-generated “news” content doesn’t always credit original reporters. By repackaging content without attribution or expanded revenue sharing, it risks turning journalists into unpaid data suppliers.
AI search engines often fabricate links or cite syndicated versions of articles rather than original sources. Some tools, like Grok 3, produced fabricated URLs for 154 out of 200 prompts tested. Even more troubling, the CJR study found that licensing deals between publishers and AI companies didn’t guarantee accurate citation — the San Francisco Chronicle permits OpenAI’s crawler and has a partnership with the company, but ChatGPT only correctly identified one of ten excerpts from the publisher.
“Ethical AI starts with sustainable economics. Platforms like Duck.ai prove you can innovate without exploiting publishers,” says Dan Goikhman, CEO of Dappier. “At Dappier, we focus on monetizing answers at the moment of need—with attribution—so consumers get trusted information, builders get powerful tools, and content creators get paid. That’s how you build a model that lasts.”
ChatGPT Search has made strides in attribution, displaying source links prominently and allowing users to access original content. However, its training practices remain less transparent than Duck.ai’s approach.
Duck.ai sidesteps this issue entirely. Its platform doesn’t train models on user chats, and its privacy safeguards ensure conversations remain confidential. For journalists, this means their hard-won scoops and analyses aren’t funneled into a system that could undermine our own industry.
4. Cost Vs. Value: Accessibility For All Newsrooms
Duck.ai’s free access is subsidized by DuckDuckGo’s non-personalized ads and affiliate marketing. Perplexity is also free for general use, but users are limited to three “Pro” searches daily. Beyond that, Perplexity’s Pro tier costs $20 per month for features like advanced models and file uploads.
ChatGPT Search initially required a ChatGPT Plus subscription at $20 monthly, though OpenAI plans to eventually make it available to free users. For freelancers or small newsrooms with budget constraints, Duck.ai’s affordability and lack of tiered features make it a democratizing option in AI research.
5. AI, Journalism And The “Content Kleptocracy”
The rise of AI “answer engines” has publishers rightly worried about traffic loss and misinformation. Gartner predicts a 25% drop in traditional search engine volume by 2026, attributed to the rise of AI answer engines.
Perplexity’s AI-generated podcasts and newsletters rarely credit publishers, further marginalizing journalists. ChatGPT Search has made efforts to partner with news organizations, but questions remain about compensation models and long-term impact on publisher traffic.
Duck.ai demonstrates that ethical AI is possible. Duck.ai’s chats aren’t used to train models, and local storage ensures sensitive investigations (e.g., whistleblower leaks) remain confidential. By anonymizing data, respecting robots.txt and partnering with publishers transparently, DuckDuckGo sets a standard others should follow. As News Corp CEO Robert Thomson noted, “We must challenge the content kleptocracy”. Duck.ai offers a path forward, one where AI enhances journalism without exploiting it.
The Future Of AI Search In Journalism
While Perplexity offers innovative features and ChatGPT Search brings powerful language capabilities, Duck.ai’s privacy-first design, model versatility and respect for publishers’ rights make it a valuable option in an industry where trust is currency.
In a news environment where AI search tools provide incorrect answers with alarming confidence and fabricate source links, journalists need solutions that prioritize accuracy and attribution. Duck.ai’s multi-model approach helps identify potential inaccuracies, while its ethical data practices respect a system that produces quality journalism. In a news cycle where misinformation can spread faster than fact-checking, Duck.ai proves that AI can be both powerful and principled — the ally reporters deserve.
Disclosures: Gray Media is a client of Ordo Digital. Jon Accarrino is a media industry advocate for Dappier.
