Building AI the Firefox way: Shaping what’s next together

[Jolie]

Hi everyone,

We recently shared how we’re approaching AI in Firefox with user choice and openness at the center of everything we build. We’ve heard from many of you who’d prefer not to have AI in your browser at all, and we get it: We will soon provide additional settings for you to control how AI is used (or not) in Firefox.

Nonetheless, standing still while technology moves forward doesn’t benefit the web or the people who use it. That’s why we see it as our responsibility to shape how AI integrates into the web, in ways that promote openness, transparency, and choice. That way, users and developers can use it freely, help shape it, and truly benefit from it.

You’ve already seen this approach in some of our latest features:
💬 AI Chatbot in the sidebar – Access your preferred chat assistant without switching tabs.
📱 Shake to Summarize on iOS – Quickly summarize pages and stay focused on what matters.

Now we’re working on something new, and we’d love your input.

What is AI Window?

AI Window is an intelligent space we’re building that lets you chat with an AI assistant and get help while you browse, all on your terms.

✅ Completely opt-in: You decide if and when to use it.
🔄 Model flexibility: Pick the AI model that best fits your needs.
⚙️ Full control: Easily toggle it on or off anytime.

Help us shape the future

We’re still early in development and want your feedback. Starting today, you can sign up to receive updates.

[miguelm]

Please stop chasing slop. Release as a separate extension from the browser itself.

[arialdomartini]

Mozilla has a very special talent in disappointing its user base. The few users still loyal with you are asking NOT to pursue with AI. So, why you are trying so much to fail is beyond my comprehension.

I’m done, you can count me out.

[DerMrc42]

Please do not do this. All we want is a nice fast browser which does not get in the way. AI is the very definition of getting in the way and adding extra steps, not to mention the huge waste of energy to accomplish nothing. Please don't force me to download a fork which ripped this stuff out

[ThomasWilburn]

Why isn't this being built as an extension?

Firefox remains the browser with the most powerful, full-featured WebExtension API, which is why it still supports real ad-blocking code. This should be a selling point. Building these AI features as extensions would A) mean that users have a choice to opt into them explicitly, and B) Mozilla could dogfood the API to find places where it's not able to perform for "agent" use cases, if they exist, and prototype new features for standardization. You could offer a version of the browser with the extension pre-installed as the "AI browser" version of Firefox. Everybody wins in this scenario, even people who don't want AI around, because the browser-as-a-platform is getting better too.

I suspect Mozilla would not constantly find itself in cases where there are (checks counter) 259 angry replies on a feature thread if these things were being developed as extensions and not being directly integrated, especially as it is not obvious to anyone why LLM features that do not run locally _need_ to be written into the browser code itself.

[bluwish]

I don't want AI slop and other related slop features in my browser used specifically just for surfing the internet. I'd rather migrate to another browser than deal with this bloatware.

[rlx]

Being based in Silicon Valley, it might appear normal that the world is turning around AI and everybody think they need to incluse AI in their products.

I do not live in the Valley but I am a long time user of Firefox. Please note, I do not want AI windows or other AI features burned in my browser. If you think you need to develop AI tools for Firefox why don't you just develop an optional AddOn?

I use Firefox because it is robust, simple and less data hungry as its competitors.
Just focus on that: Make your browser robust, secure, open, slim - and protext our data.
Not more, not less. 

[Edens-Fall]

For the love of God! Don't do it! We will all end up living in a van down by the river!

[Rapphero]

If you add AI im literally changing to Brave...

[Heath]

Brave has AI. Good luck.

[alxndr]

Mozilla, please stop wasting time and money on "AI" bull**bleep**.

A secure and privacy-protecting web browser. That's all we need.

[RyuHimora]

I just want a modern browser that lets me interact with Chrome and it's accursed children as little as possible. You're not 'standing still' by refusing to let LLMs be integrated into the software, you're providing a service being cried for by millions upon millions of people. In this world where Firefox is the only legacy web browser left that uses it's own rendering engine and is actually secure and decent to use, the gold mine you're sitting on isn't chasing tech trends, it's being a safe haven for the people who will come running when every other option has turned to **bleep**.

[patrizia]

I don't want AI in Firefox. If you are hell-bent on spending developer time on AI, make it a plugin, so that users can choose whether to have it or not (and crucially, that they must opt-in).

Your proposed benefits are incredibly vague - "help you while you browse" could be applied to pretty much any function - making your comments about needing to move forward seem like you're just trying to keep up with other browsers that are including AI, rather than having an inherent reason for doing so.

Please integrate something like the consent-o-matic plugin, which would genuinely help people and protect their privacy, rather than pushing AI on us, and would be considerably easier to do. Or perhaps you could work on tools to make porting code from only supporting Chromium to supporting your own browser, easing the burden on web developers?

I am disappointed that this is how Firefox is ending up.

[Astrateau]

nobody wants AI. 

[GermanDev]

Just logged in to say: No! Please no further AI features. I do not need AI and I sure do not want to catch up the latest "AI browser settings" again and again to turn them off. I just want a working, high performant, spyware free browser for work and private surfing.

[Emaro]

I'm not eager for new AI features in Firefox, BUT if you're building them, your approach sounds reasonable (opt-in, full control, etc). I'd like a focus on small local models, like you're already doing for the tab grouping suggestions.

[Amitor]

We do not want it! It works great as is, faat and reliable. Do NOT add ai slop to the browser.

[Yippie]

So you reinvented the ChatGPT browser tab. What a complete and utter waste of dev resources 

[withanH]

Absolutely not. Couldn’t be less interested, and the more ai you put in directly lessens my willingness to use Firefox.

[docf]

This is going to send me straight to Ladybird once it's out of alpha.

I've used Firefox for almost 25 years

[EAA]

Similar position as you (long time user, dropping because of all this nonsense) - right now I've installed and will be swapping to Librewolf for desktop use and Cromite for mobile, and I've also subscribed to updates from Ladybird and am interested to see what comes out of that! Thanks for the rec, it's nice to have tech to feel vaguely optimistic or look forward to, as opposed to 'oh god, what completely unwanted features do I have to remove from Firefox THIS update'.

[LuckyDuck]

Hello Jolie. I’ve been an avid Firefox supporter for decades now and I truly have appreciated their steps towards being a better browser by acknowledging what power users really desire and USE. This is a moment in time where Firefox needs to question whoever thought this was a good idea for marketing.  Less than 5% of your current base want this. Those who know how to access and use it, will prefer to use with chosen LLM where they have an established account in a different tab. I can only help Mozilla so much financially with support, but you guys need to really help yourself here and abandon this idea and lean into the idea that Firefox is the browser for privacy, efficiency and utility. All 3 of these traits can be hardened by just NOT doing this.  It’s a waste of developer’s time and energy.  Please, keep striving to be unique. In a world of slop be the one and only REAL browser. 

[firefoxuser0985]

We don't care about AI, I don't any any more slop in my browser 

What literally want is a light weight optimized and fast browser that supports any extension I want.

If you want to Marge AI with it, make it an extension I can uninstall 

[slithica]

I have been using firefox since 2008. 

I made this account just to let you know that I will literally pay you to NOT do this. 

[slithica]

Stop being cowards and give us a down vote. So you can see exactly how much we hate this idea. 

I'm sure the low "kudos" count is evidence enough, but let us really show you. 

[JohnAlright]

**bleep** that. just make the browser faster.

[wariat]

You ask whaw we like you to do about AI stuff? It's simple, take it out from firefox it's all we want.

If I like to chat with this stuff I can log into and chat but most important I want to be 101% sure that none of these services can watch pages I'm watching, copying stuff from them. So I don;t want any integration in my browser.

It's really simple, you can do it!

[Duke]

Nobody, absolutely nobody will switch to Firefox because of these AI features.

You have such a great chance at the moment: just focus on your core strengths of providing an alternative browser that respects its users. Double down on this, and leave out all AI features.

Be bold and do something crazy: just provide a good browser.

You will "miraculously" attract a flood of new users who are sick and tired of AI.

[WooShell]

Nobody wants AI. All the companies that have heavily invested into AI basically have to force their users at gunpoint to use it by shoving it into every possible product, because it's utterly useless. And the LAST I want to see is Firefox wasting my donated money at even more of this AI trash. Stop it.

[Organism]

I still don't have PWAs on Linux. Who is asking for this? There has to be some type of data driving these decisions. Who are these people??

[jmelesky]

I've been using Firefox for about two decades now. I've been excited about a number of features that have appeared over time, in particular multi-account containers which have transformed how comfortable I feel interacting with a web rife with increasingly-invasive tracking.

I also liked the local translation feature. It's useful, convenient (especially now that you can translate highlighted snippets), and it doesn't require any tracking of phoning home.

However, if I had to choose between "FF with translation and also all other AI features" and "FF with no AI whatsoever", I would choose the latter without hesitation or regret. Heck, I'm already close to migrating to a downstream fork because it seems every few months I need to look through hidden settings in order to turn off features I never wanted. Features which increasingly require the kind of tracking and phoning home that I use Firefox to avoid in the first place.

I understand AI is omnipresent in certain parts of tech. I'm also in those parts. I have to have conversations about this every day. If you don't have a knowledgeable skeptic around to keep you grounded, "AI" seems as inevitable as it did before the death of the Lisp Machines in the 80s.

But "AI" isn't inevitable.

You're right that technology continues to move forward. But there's no danger of FF being "left behind" when you have such rich capabilities for plugins. Anybody who wants an always-on chatbot window can achieve that without it being a core feature. Anybody who wants automated summarization is in the same position.

Meanwhile, there are things only you can do. You can improve the interface for bookmarks and browsing history. Make things discoverable. Download text snapshots of boookmarked links and make that text searchable (and available should the link die).

You can improve the discoverability and ease of use of plugins and other addons. Improve the permissioning system so that those addons can become more capable but with transparency about what they access. Build stronger vetting around addons to make the whole ecosystem safer.

Don't play catch-up. Innovate. AI for the sake of AI is not innovation--it's FOMO, it's catch-up with phantom competitors. Even vertical tabs (excellent feature, though not my preference) is playing catch-up with the OmniWeb of decades ago. Show us something new, instead.

Don't stand still while technology moves forward. Move technology forward. Provide things that only Firefox can provide. Optimize. Improve. Innovate. Leave LLMs to plugins.

Thank you for your time and attention.

[pixelworship]

We don't want this, we don't need this. Please don't waste time and resources on this. Nobody asked for it, everybody hates it.

[HolyCorruptor]

"Standing still while technology moves forward doesn’t benefit the web or the people who use it". Generative AI isn't moving forward, it's following a trend and fall into the bubble.

Why don't you take a good look at the type of user who chooses Firefox over Chrome and realize we aren't the kind to fall nor want that crap. BE different and TRULY innovate.

[Buny]

Hello,

I just wanted to throw my two cents in here.  I've been spending way too much of my time the past 5+ years getting away from tech company nonsense.  I've used Gecko forks, (Mull, Librewolf, Ironfox, Waterfox, etc.) in the past because of their harder stances on privacy and Mozilla's prior transgressions.  

Please don't continue down the AI path.  I spent way too much time constantly turning AI **bleep** off on every other app at work.  Please skip this and wait for the bubble to burst.

Speaking of my job, I'm a librarian.  We hate this **bleep**.  It's trying to take our job and doing it terribly.  When we were renegotiating our collective contract last, I vehemently told our union to try and keep AI **bleep** out.  They didn't take as hard of a line as SAG-AFTRA, but we do have a thing in it that the union has to be talked to before adopting tech that could replace jobs, specifically calling out LLMs/AI.

I'm just so tired of this **bleep**.  Please don't make me switch my browser to Lynx.

[Duncan_Beggle]

My input is the same as it was last time: I'm not interested in chatbots built into my browser, I won't use them, and if they can't be disabled completely then I'll drop the browser immediately.

More broadly it seems like a weird waste of development resources compared to working on other improvements that the userbase has signalled in their interest in, but what can you do. Thanks for the discussion thread.

[ThatKomputerKat]

Please stop shoving AI into everything. I do not want it. I will not use it. It is completely unwinding all our progress in replacing fossil fuels with renewables through its obscene energy needs. It is yes-man as a service. It is plausible sounding bs generation. Just stop. 

[gargarygary]

Local trainable image filter, replacing images with light/dark blocks depending on the AI trained light/dark automatic theming.

[edem]

One of the main reasons I choose to use Firefox was the privacy first approach. If any privacy threatening, security risk inducing generative AI integration gets embedded in the browser instead maaaazbe as an optional, not installed by default addon, I will have to look for a different browser. Frankly I don't understand how could this piece of theft software be embedded when the Container Tabs addon must be manually installed... please embed that instead, increasing privacy choices, instead of decreasing them...

[Cocaine_Owlbear]

So literally all (well, 99.9%, and 100% not posted by a techbro sock puppet) if the feedback on this is "Just don't do AI."

What would be great is some kind of acknowledgement that Mozilla is paying any attention at all to this overwhelming pushback against a stupid idea.

Although your refusal to acknowledge that your community clearly doesn't want this is an answer all its own, isn't it?

[Karlboss]

Please don't. I just want a fast, stable browser that respects my privacy. Could you please focus on that instead of chasing this environment-destroying fad that it's clear your users don't want? 

[hex]

Nonetheless, standing still while technology moves forward doesn’t benefit the web or the people who use it.

This is not only incredibly patronizing but also an argument at the level you'd expect to hear in a high school debating club.

That’s why we see it as our responsibility to shape how AI integrates into the web, in ways that promote openness, transparency, and choice.

The only choice that you're promoting is the choice that vast swathes of your formerly devoted user base will make to abandon Firefox if you proceed with this.