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.

[vaii]

TAKE THE AI OUT OF FIREFOX!

[kingdomfantasy6]

Hi, so, "user choice and openness" are not at play if the only way to turn off genAI as it's added to browser is via about:config. In fact it's not at all at play if you know many users do not want this, yet add it to their browser regardless. While I understand the average user who even bothers to use these forums can probably utilize about:config, the average user in general would be confused as to why these settings are not part of a normal settings gui.

Also that they're under settings that come with a warning you could cause harm to the browser is...troubling as that feels like a way of disincentivizing people from changing these genAI settings.

And why bother adding genAI? There's plenty of evidence it's less efficient, that all it does is select statistically likely words NOT accurate ones, as well as the environmental costs and the costs of humans being exploited to make these things legible. There are SO many ethical concerns here, it's just not worth it. Then we get to the financial where reports show OpenAI and other companies are losing money on this venture. It's all a grift, based on stolen data, that has no business in a web browser. 

Oh, and it's been shown that those who use GenAI for various tasks begin to lose critical skills for said tasks, thereby worsening their performance. So that's another financial negative for your.

[sadduckie]

If continues pushing of AI tools continues I will simply stop using Firefox. I started using Firefox because it was an alternative to chrome, however if the program consistantly forces things into the browser that I do not want (in this case AI tools) which was my entire reason for switching from chrome (BEFORE AI tools) I will simply switch again. I've constantly been recommending Firefox to people as the best browser, but I'm at my limit with how much direct disrespect for what users want that I'm willing to take when I'm constantly forced to change my browser config to remove features I know LITERALLY NO ONE wants. I don't use Chrome, I don't use Google Search, and if this trend continues with Firefox, I will not use it either. 

[sadduckie]

Genuinely everyone involved with attempt to add AI features to firefox when users do not want it and have been very vocal since the last time you tried adding AI to it, should be entirely fired because obviously they are trying to make you bankrupt. If you're popular for being an alternative to a user exploitative competitor, what sense does it make to start acting exactly like that competitor. Users will leave. I will leave. It's that simple. 

[IcarusAvery]

Nobody wants this. Nobody needs this. Turn it off.

[Liz]

eugh. you are kidding me. more ai we don't want. if you want to turn this off you have to do a bunch of annoying things in your about:config too. the only reason i am still using firefox at this point is because it is the only non-chromium browser. 

[MiroCollas]

I've been a user since the days of Netscape, which is a LONG time now. The Direction Mozilla is taking, embracing AI, is leading me to consider alternatives.

So, what most everyone else has said: just don't. Back away from AI. 

[Atrus2000]

As everyone else has already said, this is a terrible moment to be investing in AI features (even if they're just machine learning and not LLM/genAI) because of the atrocious optics. But if you really must keep pursuing this avenue (please don't), then all AI features have to be optional, opt-in by default, and able to be completely turned off with a single button. We use Firefox because you're supposed to be better than the alternative, but if you keep adding bloatware instead of features that users have been asking for years there's really no incentive to stick around. 

[MightyK]

I don't know how much clearer everyone, literally EVERYONE could have made it:

We do NOT want AI shoved down our throats. I repeat, we do NOT want AI crap shoved down our throats. Do you know what NOT means?

When we say we don't want AI crap forced down our throats, that's NOT code for "give it to us slowly subtly", that is NOT us being coy about it. It means WE DON'T WANT AI CRAP FORCED DOWN OUR THROATS.

By this point if you keep going, you are ignoring your users on purpose. 

[notcomingback]

Making this one post for everyone else disgusted by Mozilla's betrayal: Check out Vivaldi's browser. Super easy to import, rich features, and they're not contributing to the climate crisis to try to squeeze a couple extra dollars out of us.

Now to uninstall firefox for the foreseeable future, because their tone deaf response to these replies makes it pretty obvious they don't care what their user-base thinks.

[TarinCoyote]

I would definitely appreciate an easier way to disable AI “features“ in the Firefox browser. I genuinely like Firefox, and I refuse to use anything based on Chromium. I am extremely opposed to generative AI in all of its forms and would rather it not be shoehorned into everything that I use. I don’t need a chatbot integrated into my browser, I don’t want an AI assistant performing tasks in the background, I just want a browser…..to browse the Web with. adding a simple toggle in settings to disable all AI would be amazing of you. Making all AI features opt in instead of opt out would be even better. Generative AI is unethical to its very core and I don’t want to touch it

[FirefoxUser5]

I'm seriously considering ditching Firefox after being a loyal user for years. I used to recommend Firefox to my friends, switched all my devices over to Firefox, sung it's praises. The entire reason people like Firefox is that it's privacy-focused. You can't include data-scraping AI and be privacy focused. You're ditching your core selling point to chase after a tech bubble that's already showing signs of collapse. You keep talking about this being opt-in, and yet it's only possible to disable by hunting through about:config. What's more, even after I go through and disable all the AI options, you quietly add more. Adding AI anything to a privacy browser was a terrible idea to begin with, but including them without an easy way to turn it off is even worse. "We will soon provide options" is not good enough.

[admiralsenn]

This is what you guys are using our donation money for? 

I generally try to understand what people are envisioning with new features. I cannot, simply CANNOT, fathom a situation where I would want to ask an LLM for help while I browse a web page.

You see, I am a human being, so when I consume content on the web, I simply... read or watch or observe the content. I don't need a bunch of other layers summarizing it, I can skim and summarize myself and choose which parts I want to ignore. 

Who asked for this? Who is this for? What is the Foundation doing that this is even a priority? 

[Anonymous]

Curious to know what search engine you use, since Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, Qwant and Brave are all using AI models ?

The key trend is moving from "search engine" to "answer engine" -- the internet and how we interact with it is evolving, if you don't adapt and evolve with it you die out like the Dodo bird.

[MikeTaylor]

The internet and how we interact with it is evolving, if you don't adapt and evolve with it you die out like the Dodo bird.

If your friends jumped off a cliff, would you, too?

[Anonymous]

Not sure how your compare the two ?
Jumping off a cliff compared to using AI, LLM an GenAI.

I experienced a brain injury in a motor vehicle accident that resulted in bleeding on the brain. This incident left me with some health issues and disabilities. However, using AI has greatly benefited me by assisting me with various tasks and projects.

[MikeTaylor]

"Using AI has greatly benefited me by assisting me with various tasks and projects" is a legitimate reason for liking AI on some contexts. "Everyone else is doing it" is not.

(And the usefulness of AI in some contexts is not in itself a reason it needs to be in Firefox.)

[Anonymous]

You quoted me with "Everyone else is doing it"

I never said that.

Clearly this is not a place for me, you win I am out.
It was never my intention to get in to a back and forth argument.
Deleting account.

[Anonymous]

In case you think I am making this up for a response, look at my first post on this topic, I say; I rely heavily on AI and LLMs in my daily life.

[Kinetix242]

At what point does that mean a web browser needs it integrated in various ways, rather than, you know, being a web browser to get to the services you so apparently rely upon?

By the way - speech recognition & analysis isn't necessarily AI or LLMs. I'm not sure if you just had no idea that computing tools existed for accessibility prior to AI & LLMs, or if you aren't sure of the distinctions.

However, again, having this mashed in to the browser is like having frogger lumped in with one's mail client... but worse.

[sedric]

Hilarious to see an Ai defense post written by an AI with such a dumb take on evolution and economics.

[Anonymous]

I require the use of AI (LLMs) in writing simple posts because I have disabilities.

[Anonymous]

I used a reference to the Dodo bird as a humorous way to end my post, but I did not anticipate that anyone would take it seriously and believe I was using it for an evolutionary and economic argument.

[Devilpants]

You talk big about user choice, but this stuff was forced in and the only way to opt out is to dig around in about:config, a menu the vast majority of firefox users have no idea even exists. It's shady and sleazy behaviour and it harms trust in mozilla's leadership.

[gargarygary]

posted from servo 

[gargarygary]

This one is posted from Falkon. 

Time to build Ladybird from source. 

[Anonymous]

I rely heavily on AI and LLMs in my daily life! I have GPT4All installed on Fedora Linux, which operates locally without any data leaving my PC. However, when I need internet access, having it integrated with Firefox is incredibly convenient.

[necky]

Firefox developers, the convenience of having AI in the sidebar or integrated into the browser is not worth the security issues. Plus, the way I and many others look at it, all the sidebar really is, is a browser tab that can't be closed, only minimized. Using AI chat-bots in a regular browser tab, by visiting the website achieves the same thing as a chat-bot in the sidebar.

And speaking of the iOS version of Firefox, there are many other things I would want improved or changed in the iOS version rather than AI. The iOS version has always felt "behind" the Android version in features and just the overall control and toggles that are provided to the user.

The iOS version of the Brave browser seems Great ! Most of the toggles and features you find on the Android version are available on iOS (stuff like brave://flags aren't available of-course).

Tracker blocking, JavaScript blocking (or allowing), Ad-blocking, changing the UI and toolbar of the browser, per-site shields (privacy) settings, and a lot of things that Brave for iOS does but Firefox for iOS doesn't. I really wish you (the developers) would first make the iOS version of Firefox more consistent with the Android version first.

And I also share the sentiment of not following trends (now the AI trend), and improving the render engine performance.

[Nombrenada]

Search online by avoiding the Firefox search engine.  It's .  It now produces endless and useless variations of the initial request presented as links that lead endlessly to more links, ad nauseum. Get useful answers to research queries far faster by going to DuckDuckGo and get the information needed for productive output. 

Maybe the AI is needed by those linguistically disabled by texting? Adding AI in the fashion chosen by Mozilla is not progress. Is it crutches for those so grammatically challenged they are no longer capable of communicating in complete sentences?  The AI "box" often conjures gibberish as useless as these "chat-bots" I have learned to avoid. How does one turn the AI off? 

[samyotix]

You are still forcing this AI nonsense down your throats, and wasting huge amounts of energy for irrelevant, error-prone summaries. 

I will switch to Vivaldi or some other AI free eco system unless you add an easy to find "disable AI crap" button in your settings.