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.

[rune_ined]

Hi! This is my feedback for this. I've been a longtime fan of Mozilla because its vision and morals align with mine. I see this AI assistant integration as a betrayal of these morals, which indicates that I cannot trust the words from management and darkens my view of the company as a whole.

As of now, I shall continue to use Firefox while keeping an eye out for any updates. If any further steps are taken towards similar decisions such as this, expect that I will be switching my browser, nuking accounts, and rescinding all support. I have done this before with Chrome and Duolingo, and I'll do it again.

TLDR; Thin ice. Get rid of the AI assistant.

[tommihommi1]

Not using AI is not "standing still", shoving AI into everything where it doesn't belong is.

[Mazz]

Refusing to use AI isn't standing still, it's standing strong.

[NWStormbreaker]

I've been a Firefox user since you guys came around, you were supposed to be the good guys compared to the evil Google empire.  

What happened?  

I'm DEEPLY disappointed in this move, your leadership team is disconnected from your userbase and it will cost you dearly.  

DONT DO THIS.

[TheDruidOcelot]

I will not use a browser that has generative ai trash clogging it up. I already do not like that I have to opt-OUT of what firefox already has, and it is trash that does nothing other than cause greater inconvenience to end users. 

I am already pursuing other browsers to use instead, and will be telling everyone I work with and interact with exactly why.

I will be prioritizing software that contains ZERO generative AI garbage.

[CyborgPigeon]

I am extremely disappointed in this decision. AI is complete and utter bullsh!t. I think I'm going to need to start looking for a new browser, because if this behavior keeps up then I won't have much reason to stay on Firefox.

[MozillaLost]

I am already working to move off of Firefox, given this AI announcement.

You let us all down, Mozilla. 

[Minty32]

Please don't. I wanted to get away from AI. I will leave and find another platform.

Spend your time, money and energy improving the platform rather than bloating it with a garbage, unethical, and unrequested feature.

[sychar7]

Can't believe that anyone would think this is a good idea given the firefox userbase. ofc i want to torch my privacy and security with AI, that's why i use firefox lol!

after 10+ years I'll be switching browsers i suppose.

[Musiclover]

I downloaded Firefox way back because it was different. I do not want AI. At all. Listening to your userbase is not standing still. It's adapting to our needs. This isn't something we want. If push comes to shove I'll switch back to Edge. 

[FeckAI]

Many others have said it already, but I will as well:

The last thing I want is to use a browser that shoves AI down my throat. I've used Firefox for years!  Maybe not since the beginning, but when the browser wars began to really kick into gear I had no hesitation in switching to Firefox. The biggest reason being that I could rely on it to not shove ads down my throat at every turn and make sure adblockers and the like could continue to be used.

I have championed Firefox for years with my friends. Every step when they complained about YouTube preventing watching because of adblock. Every time they mentioned that Chromium stopped them because of an adblock. Every single time, I mentioned Firefox and how reliable it has been for me against all of it.

Seeing Firefox now deciding to try and turn into another AI browser like the rest of them goes against everything it felt like Firefox stood for in the first place. It is extremely saddening to see this, and if it goes through I cannot in good conscience continue to recommend Firefox. I will be among the many others who will start hunting for another browser. 

[Gaspar_Ghost]

Like many others, I do not want more "AI" on Firefox. In my eyes, you've been one of the few doing what you thought was right, and not just following trends like everyone else. You delivered a good product despite struggles, with the users in mind. Inserting more and more "AI" into Firefox just makes you like the others, making you lose what distinguishes you and alienating your userbase.

[marbles]

hey can I dislike this? baking in Ai to my browser adds unnecessary bloat and I lose my much desired privacy to train your stupid wasteful program. If people want an Ai assistant make it into an extension or a plug in, HELL, make your Ai chatbot a Paid product if you love it so much. Just know I don't want a cent of any revenue gained from my usership going to that **bleep** thing.

[Zwei2x]

Absolutely horrible. Stop trying to ruin Firefox with AI and privacy issues.

[jukebox1412]

I have no interest in AI and would rather see effort put into any other aspect of Firefox.

[isthisusrnmtkn]

don't you dare, i will leave firefox forever. stop the slop

[isthisusrnmtkn]

stop with the ai stuff. we do not want it, we do not need it.

[isthisusrnmtkn]

nobody wants this, stop shoving it down our throats.

[CHaSeD]

What a tone-deaf announcement! I don't know which member of the C-Suite pushed for this grift, but their golden parachute has to be worth less than the potential permanent loss of reputation from burned users. No one asked for this garbage. No one *needs* this garbage. Cut it out, or face a deluge of uninstalls!

[Dougiefresh]

This is bull**bleep** and not why I use Firefox. If this sucks as hard as it sounds like it will, I’m probanly done with Firefox.

[Gnomes]

Genuinely so disappointing.

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

Saying this does not just magically make it true. This statement is based on so many false assumptions it would be a waste of my time to point them out. I can't express the depth of my disappointment in this anti-user base attitude, other than to say that after over a decade of being a die-hard firefox supporter, I'm moving browsers. Bye.

[Unhappy]

No AI. I do not want AI. Why is it so hard to understand that the userbase does not want AI? I genuinely do not understand how someone can be so divorced from the reality of their product's userbase that they refuse to listen to feedback.

I will switch browsers if you continue with the current grandstanding about turning Firefox into a "modern AI browser.

[reallynow]

This is an absolutely horrid idea and is shooting yourself in the foot on one of the VERY FEW footholds you had over literally any other browser

[Fitzybitz]

If AI is supplemented against the will of your customers (me), I'll be ending my mozilla vpn subscription. Clearly your company does not care about privacy since AI scrubs their users. Stop following the idiotic footsteps of every other rich ceo that's fully lost touch with reality.

[Brackets002]

This, specifically, is why I'm leaving Firefox. I'll be back if you ever get rid of all this AI **bleep**.

[Shiro_Snep]

We don't want this and will uninstall the moment this goes live with an update and will never return even after you remove the AI. Wish everyone would stop trying to force their AI systems on us, if we want it we would install it separately and if you force it like this we simply abandon you and move on like with windows.

Lets be clear, if its not a local run AI with no telemetry and training data being sent back and not fully controllable by us it will not be allowed to run on our systems. I will also flag you and fail client audits if they have your browser installed even on one PC in their network once AI is part of it. 

[Lootenhans]

Current AI gen and chatbot integration are not "moving forward" in browser technology. Browsers built around current LLMs and chatbots are a complete destruction of everything anyone wants in a browser. They degrade privacy, security, even general use by creating massive processing bloat and slower service. In non-tech terms, it's like saying tying a pallet of bricks to the back of your car is the next step in innovation. I for one am gone from all Mozilla products if current AI models become central to any of their framework.

[ange]

please do not do this. no one wants this 

[Really_UnHappy]

"Hello, we at Firefox understand that we have been many people's browser of choice for decades now because, unlike our competitors, we have never shot ourselves in the foot. However, today we have some exciting news for you all. As you can see, I have placed my foot up on this table, and in my hand is a pistol. Standing still while technology moves forward doesn't benefit the Web or the people who use it. And that is why we see it as our responsibility to shape how this bullet will blast through our foot and create a new hole full of opportunity."

[xx_k4nd1_xx]

best comment!

[dogtoothe]

I will quit Firefox if AI is here to stay. I migrated my entire Chromium existence over to it a while ago, why make me regret that?

[bingobongo]

I don't want AI. I want to think for myself. I want to talk to real human beings. I want to read articles written by real human beings. I want to receive tech support from real human beings. Stop forcing this garbage down everyone's throat.

[Kreetn]

I despise AI. It’s trashy, cheap and pollutes actual information gathering tools. This will in no way benefit Firefox or its users. 
It’s not improving in terms of accuracy, it’s just hallucinating answers on a broader scale. 
this won’t attract investors (ai is a bubble) and it won’t attract users (they hate ai). 

[Lexi]

I can't say anything new that wasn't said before by other commenters.
The entire announcement feels like meaningless corpo-speak. How exactly does "shaking to summarize an article" help promote openness and transparency?
I'm strongly considering switching to a new browser, one that isn't focused on "how AI integrates into the web" I'm tired of companies designing their software to have all of the newest marketing buzzwords included. It was the same way with blockchain, crypto, web 4.0 or 5.0, and to some extent with the Internet of Things or cloud computing.
The reason many people use firefox is because they trust it to be a reliable browser, focused on the user instead of extracting the maximum amount of profit. Now I feel it's losing a lot of that trust.

[drjigglebones]

You know what would be INFINITELY better? Not wasting dev time bloating this browser with AI slopware. Tell Anthony he's a moron and collectively fire him.

[Shadyfrog]

The moment AI goes in I uninstall on all devices. You may want to move forward in the tech world but you are moving backwards in what your users want.

[22]

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

Actually yeah it does. Think about it, nobody wants AI jammed into everything. So if you move forward into things people don't want then that is worse than standing still. Please make yourselves aware of en**bleep**ification or the corporate desire to change all the time resulting is angry users. Don't be digital cancer, don't think you're moving forward when you're diving head first off a cliff. AI is a gimmick.

[vampiri]

No thanks. Please don't spend time, money, and energy doing what everyone else is. Could you just focus on being a browser and stick to that? Thanks!

[Lightcell]

Just don't even, I only use Firfox because there is no AI bullcrap involved. I Don't want that garbage on my browser, I wasnt a functional browser that serves my needs and lets me block ads.

[ShSaBo]

I picked firefox as one of the alternatives to google because I was hoping to avoid this ai obsession. Maybe that was naive of me. However, it still baffles me how it's possible for people to still buy into the "necessity" of shoving ai down people's throats when we keep saying over and over again that we do not want it. It's a bad investment. The sense of "progress" that companies get from ai is short lives and lacks perspective - because eventually the ai will start eating itself and warping beyond all recognition. The "benefits" do not outweigh the risks, because it contributes so massively both to the destruction of our planet, and to the violations of privacy that we deal with on the internet. This feels like an internet-wide case of mass hysteria, where people, for some reason, have started treating a magic eight ball as the answer to all their problems - except it's also being forced onto people that DO NOT WANT IT. It only makes me feel unsafe using firefox, and I'm really tired of having to constantly switch browsers. But I will do it if I have to, because this is ridiculous. 
 In short - stop forcing ai down people's throats because of your own sunk cost fallacy.