DuckDuckGo has expanded its Duck.ai chatbot with AI-powered image editing capabilities, building on its late 2025 image generation launch. The privacy-focused company announced users can now upload images in formats like JPEG, JPG, PNG, or WebP and request edits through natural language prompts. OpenAI provides the underlying model while DuckDuckGo strips image metadata and IP addresses before processing.

Unlike many AI image tools, DuckDuckGo's offering requires no account and is free to use, though subscribers receive higher daily limits. The company emphasizes that uploaded images remain stored locally on users' devices rather than on external servers. When asked about C2PA-compliant metadata labeling for edited images, DuckDuckGo indicated they would provide updates after investigation.

This launch follows DuckDuckGo's recent poll showing most users don't want AI integrated into search tools. In response, the company maintains that all AI features remain optional and separate from its main search interface. Users can access an AI-free search at noai.duckduckgo.com. The image editing feature joins Duck.ai's existing capabilities while reinforcing DuckDuckGo's commitment to privacy-first AI tools that don't require user accounts or compromise personal data.