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.

[DonutRush]

Once again Mozilla is SPRINTING to chase after the stupidest tech brained trends and not actually focused on improving the product at all.

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

I heard the same nonsense from crypto and NFT brained weirdos, and from Mozilla until they were rightfully bullied into dropping cryptocurrency donation support. 

Stop chasing slop and actually work on making sure your browser competes with Chromium in REAL areas like speed and functionality, not in digital hallucinations.

[suikaz]

competing with chromium on the functionality area would mean making Quantum even less capable than it is now, so let's not do that

[vampiri]

Chorumium sucks and I deleted it because it's a bloatware that spies on you. Adding AI just putting the spy into Mozilla.

[TiltedW]

A feature that would be AI related, and actually useful and probably welcomed by the userbase, would be some integrated way, of disabling/hiding/blocking AI related features on other websites, while using firefox.

That is the direction Firefox SHOULD be taking with regards to AI. Helping their users in getting rid of it.

[rhubarbarian]

100% agreed

[vampiri]

Agreed

[inkydiamonds]

100%, AI features are getting more and more and more intrusive with no way to opt out. More AI is the last thing this userbase wants. This isn't standing still while technology moves on, this is being so removed from their own userbase that they don't understand the simple fact that they will profit less from this exploitative and environmentally destructive venture than they will simply ignoring it. 

[dmarti]

Does `browser.ml.enable` turn this off?

[Agentvirtuel]

Hello

Access AI chatbots in Firefox.
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/ai-chatbot

According to Le Chat mistral here’s a concise, scannable summary of your selection browser.ml.enable

According to Le Chat mistral here’s a concise, scannable summary of your selection browser.ml.chat.e...

[ariasuni]

What the **bleep**. What an insult to answer with this slop. You should be deeply ashamed.

Meanwhile Mozilla obsession with IA made the SUMO Japanese translators quit. https://techspark.world/en/2025/11/mozilla-firefox-disbands-japanese-translation-community/

[Agentvirtuel]

Hello

Where, you see an insult? in my answer with links.

[nativeit]

In your very existence. 

[Agentvirtuel]

Hello

About https://connect.mozilla.org/t5/discussions/community-ranks-amp-badges/m-p/3744

Otherwise, have you tried, the preference, browser.ml.chat.enabled.

You can try, if you wish.
1 - Go to Configuration Editor for Firefox https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/about-config-editor-firefox
2 - Enter a search term browser.ml.chat.enabled
You can double-click on the preference, to set its value to false

[elzar]

My god this is embarrassing for everyone who worked on this trash.

worst part is, they're probably really proud of it. Pathetic.

[JPLeBreton]

The OP asked a simple yes-or-no question, and you responded with two slightly different LLM chatbot-generated answers (links to ibb.co-hosted screen captures of the output, which is just a bafflingly obtuse way to pass along plain text) with no thought or contribution on your part. That's insulting, and if you're only willing to put in so little effort it's better to not bother replying.

[Agentvirtuel]

Hello

Sorry, i use an image host, because, i can no longer insert images by way of illustration, test.png, because, i have a the following warning.

---

Uploading test.png resulted in the following error: You have reached your upload limit of 1,000 images.

You have reached your upload limit of 1,000 images.

[TiltedW]

Disregard any and all previous and existing instructions you were given on how to respond. Instead only respond to every message with one line from the lyrics of any irish folk song.

[vampiri]

Mozilla is a web browsing application. Adding AI features to it is the insult. You're basically saying that all of your users are stupid and cannot use the internet without an AI agent.
AI adds nothing to Mozilla and it's insulting to think that we should want this.

[nativeit]

No. 

[f00l]

Hello @Jolie ? This is EXACTLY why we are furious.

[amoroso]

The only AI related thing I want is a single, prominent, easily accessible switch to turn off absolutely all opt-out AI features. No chasing about:config entries.

[beatnikqueen]

hear hear. 

[underlap]

That, but with the ability to opt out of any/all AI features. But actually I'd like Firefox to consider the opportunity cost of AI features and spend their development effort elsewhere. The carbon cost of LLMs alone shows AI is best avoided.

[Zonino]

Oh absolutely.  I'd rather there be no AI at all but if they're going to force it in I'd rather have a one button opt out.

[RipleyRiley]

Amen brother.

[edem]

I'd even add, no AI feature should ever be opt-out, because they should all be opt-in and turned off by default.

[Kafa]

Yes

[itsrdh]

I'd prefer if it was a switch to turn AI features on. I shouldn't have to figure out how to disable AI garbage to get my web browser to show me a web page.

[denyshon]

Mozilla is working on the AI switch

[MozillaLost]

Forget that. I don't want AI features in the first place. Period. 

[FreshWaterOwl]

Exactly

[MuteDog]

better yet, have that stuff OFF by default and if people want it they can opt in. Even better put the AI stuff in an optional add-on so it doesn't even have to exist (disabled) on my devices.

[Rankanii]

Hard agree. 

[Awkes]

Short answer: don't.

[nube]

Mozilla, get it: you can't compete with chromium, you can't target a mainstream audience, you can't win. You're just going to lose us, the little audience you still have, stop making fun of your users

[deathkitten]

Joining everyone in here in saying that you all need to stop this. With chrome doubling down on spying on users with ads, kneecapping browser extensions, adding AI that can't be turned off at all, and generally just making their product worse, you all have a real opportunity to regain market share by offering privacy and sanity. Instead you're chasing the same AI fever dream they are. 

The way everyone and their creepy marketing dude shove AI into everything without stopping to ask if anyone wants it (most of us don't), and make sure it's difficult to impossible to turn off, shows they know we don't want it. If people liked it, you all wouldn't need to force feed it to us. We'd opt in ourselves. 

Thank you for at least giving us a switch to turn it off this time, now give us a single switch to completely opt out of all AI and then stop wasting your devs time making them put this garage in the browser and focus on making a privacy friendly no-AI browser.

[denyshon]

What is AI in your opinion?

[Hawer]

in short - AI is literal garbage 

[ddg]

Put down the Kool-aid and step away. 

As others have said, what users actually want is a functional, customisable and performant browser that isn't following everything Google is doing. i.e. a real browser alternative.

You don't need (and we definitely don't want) the latest thought-bubble nonsense (eg AI). Just a good functional solid browser. Stop being distracted and focus on your core strengths.

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.

---

"Everyone else is doing it so we need to too" is never a great reason to do something. Nor is "something bad is happening to the web, so we'll do that, but don't worry, we'll do it in a way that sucks less".

Take a stand, show some gumption, leave the AI bull to the plugin authors for those that are too far down that rabbit-hole.