Qwant & Ecosia Launch Staan: European AI Search Index Challenges Big Tech
European search engines Qwant and Ecosia have officially launched Staan, a jointly developed search index that promises a more privacy-centric and cost-effective alternative to the dominant offerings from Google and Bing. This collaborative effort marks a significant step towards bolstering Europe’s digital infrastructure and reducing its reliance on foreign technology giants.
The initiative stems from a joint venture formed last year between France’s privacy-focused Qwant and Germany’s non-profit search engine Ecosia. Operating under the name European Search Perspective (EUSP), the partners aim for Staan to power a substantial portion of search queries in their respective home markets, targeting approximately 50% of French searches and 33% of German searches by the close of the year.
Beyond traditional web searches, Staan is already being integrated into new applications. Qwant is leveraging the new index to enhance its AI-powered search summaries, while Ecosia has outlined plans to incorporate similar artificial intelligence features into its platform in the near future. The EUSP is also actively engaging with various companies to encourage the adoption of Staan for in-app search functionalities, particularly targeting the burgeoning field of AI chatbots.
Christian Kroll, CEO of Ecosia, highlighted Staan’s competitive edge in this emerging domain. He explained that AI chatbots often rely on web search for “knowledge grounding”—the process of retrieving and verifying information from the internet to inform their responses. Kroll emphasized that Staan can provide robust deep research and AI summary capabilities at a fraction of the cost compared to solutions offered by Google and Bing, potentially as low as one-tenth the price.
This move by Qwant and Ecosia is part of a broader European drive to cultivate an independent digital ecosystem, less dependent on technology stacks originating from the United States or China. A joint statement from the companies underscored the urgency of this endeavor, noting that the outcome of the 2024 U.S. election served as a stark reminder to European policymakers and innovators of the continent’s vulnerability regarding core digital infrastructure. Much of Europe’s foundational search, cloud, and AI layers are currently built upon American Big Tech platforms, a situation that could leave entire sectors, from journalism to climate technology, susceptible to external political or commercial pressures.
Furthermore, Kroll asserted that Staan, when combined with Europe’s stringent data privacy regulations, can offer a significantly more privacy-friendly search experience than its U.S. counterparts. This strategic emphasis on data protection aligns with European values and aims to provide users with greater control over their personal information in the digital sphere. The launch of Staan represents not just a technical innovation, but a deliberate stride towards digital sovereignty and a more resilient European internet.