Share your feedback on the AI services experiment in Nightly

[asafko]

Hi folks, 

In the next few days, we will start the Nightly experiment which provides easy access to AI services from the sidebar. This functionality is entirely optional, and it’s there to see if it’s a helpful addition to Firefox. It is not built into any core functionality and needs to be turned on by you to see it. 

If you want to try the experiment, activate it via Nightly Settings > Firefox Labs (please see full instructions here). 

We’d love to hear your feedback once you try out the feature, and we’re open to all your ideas and thoughts, whether it’s small tweaks to the current experience or big, creative suggestions that could boost your productivity and make accessing your favorite tools and services in Firefox even easier.

Thanks so much for helping us improve Firefox!

[mechmayhem]

I really do not want this integrated into Firefox. Given both Brave and Opera already have AI assistants integrated in their browsers, Mozilla has a chance here to be the one notable browser to reject this. It isn't necessary, we can access ChatGPT and other services already in the browser if we so desire. 

[ilma]

this goes against everything you claim to stand for on your site or "manifest". reckless, unneeded and embarrassing.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/mar/07/ai-climate-change-energy-disinformation-report

"Further, Dodge adds that those with expertise in AI, particularly people in power at tech companies, should establish ethical principles to limit the technology’s use. The goal should be to avoid climate harm and instead help reduce it. “It needs to be part of the value system,” he says." (https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ais-climate-impact-goes-beyond-its-emissions/)

[DT909]

Absolutely not. No. We do not want this. The well of Generative AI has been so thoroughly poisoned by mass privacy violations, mass stealing of content, widespread use of it to scam and deceive, and rapid acceleration of climate destruction due to how resource intensive it is, that any positive effect it may have (which, by the way, is next to nil) is vastly outweighed.

And you can tell us over and over that 'its all optional, its all private' as much as you like, but we know how this story goes; how long until its mandatory and can't be switched off or opted out of? How long until the temptation of mass profit leads to our data being sold off either for AI models or for yet more advertising, or both? Because it's not a matter of "if", it's a matter of "when".

That is where you stand with this as a company now; integrating any generative AI features at all, however optional, would betray our trust in the brand- trust you've worked hard to build up. A not insignificant number of people will drop your browser if you do this.

So with all that said, I say again;

NO. ABSOLUTELY NOT. WE DON'T WANT IT. CANCEL ANY PLANS TO INTEGRATE GENERATIVE AI FEATURES IMMEDIATELY AND NEVER, EVER CONSIDER USING THEM AGAIN.

[TheZouave]

I think that if someone wants to have easy access to AI services while they are browsing the web, they should be able to use a Chromium browser for that. Firefox is for people who want a basic browser compatible with the vast majority of sites. If they need more functionality, that is to come from extensions.

The simple fact is the Firefox is the last widely compatible browser that is not based on Chromium. The ONLY alternative. Adding AI (read: LLMs) to the experience is like adding Crypto or NFTs to the browser. The community has absolutely no trust in it. It has essentially become a dogwhistle that whatever is integrating AI does not care about their users/customers/community.

That this has become an option has shaken the communities' trust in Firefox, and ultimately Mozilla as a whole. Please remove this "feature" as it violates several tenants of the Mozilla Manifesto.

[Orc]

No.   Firefox is a web browser;  it does not need plagarism as a service.

[eltheanine]

What an absolute waste of time over some pointless FOMO hype. I expected Mozilla to be the adults in the room; I appear to have been mistaken.

How about just making Firefox faster and snappier to use; that was what got Chrome their market share originally - now they have a foothold their bloated mess is still the standard, sadly, because nothing is actually noticeably faster to use. Please just make a really good browser and not waste time and funds on frivolous distractions. One would be far better off marketing a product as NOT having AI these days. There have been numerous articles on the subject.

Anyway, DenJohn said it best: NO

[SillyGoose]

For the love of all things holy do not implement a built in plagiarism machine. I already am planning to, regardless of my tech illiteracy, switch to Linux because of how Windows has embraced this garbage. I don't want to also have to find a whole new browser just so I can post online in a way that's doesn't feel like I'm supporting something that's both ripping off writers AND prone to giving people false information (some of which can be actively harmful).

Like history will not look kindly on you if you do follow this trend for the same reason it wouldn't have if you implemented crypto **bleep** a couple years back when that was the scummy techbro scam du jour. Use your noggin this is bad for the well being of those using this browser and even the internet itself.

[Darksilvano]

I don't need it.

I don't like it.

[Moah]

**bleep** this **bleep**. I don't need Mozilla to become another peddler for that garbage, I need Mozilla to provide a browser. No ads, no garbage AI.

[TamazonX]

No. Absolutely not. I want a browser that is a BROWSER. Not a ChatGPT client. Not a Google Gemini client. A web browser. I switched from Chrome to Firefox to get away from Google's constant AI push. Don't repeat the mistakes here.

[AntBand]

EXACTLY

[AntBand]

Stop it

[nanarko]

made an account just to say this: Absolutely NOT, keep AI far away from Mozilla

[MaWalla]

How about, instead of focussing on running after the latest nonsensical hype, you actually improve Firefox by keeping it bare and simple by default, but powerful and extendible by plugins?

A simple interface with tabs and bookmarks for a fast uncluttered barebone experience, then extensions for Sync / AI / other fancy 3rd party stuff that has nothing to do with the core browser experience?

In the meantime, I'll finally take a look at the privacy/user-focused Firefox forks while you bloat this one up.

[p4ndora2]

The worst idea you had since raising your CEO's salary.

Please **remove completely** this feature.

[ghalfacree]

This should not be included in the browser, at all. If you want to offer it as a "feature," it should be an optional extension.

I know Mozilla has been taken over by AI maximalists, but please remember that Firefox is supposed to be a web browser - not a means of getting more customers for the AI companies that are burning up the world's resources to deliver hallucinations-as-a-service.

Do better, Mozilla.

[Torte]

The first comment, from June 24 this year, is "NO", and I second that.

Why can't you go back to be the good, non-creepy, non-exploitative, non-adware, non-spying option again? Oh yeah, you're Google now. I forget. It doesn't matter if it's local, the original learning data came from somewhere – it was stolen, and the training still used up resources we could not actually afford to spend. There is no ethical way to implement this so called "AI" at this point in time and the fact that you try to gloss over that is despicable. I'm utterly disappointed.

[alvietron]

I think you'll find that very few people except a few deluded AI cheerleaders actually want this. Do not add this.

[SickOfMoz]

Totally NO

[cactusbug]

Do not do this. It is a selling point to NOT have this AI garbage forced down our throat by Firefox.

[omoni]

I think what you're doing is amazing and I look forward to what is going to be possible with your integration

[Will_]

I'm not short of opportunites to interact with "AI". Even my mouse driver has jumped on the bandwagon.
With OS integrations coming too, there are few places where I'll be able to avoid it.
Much better that FF focuses on being a good browser, and limiting tracking and other privacy invasions.

[OriginalBarbas]

One of the main reasons I use FIrefox is to be able to completely avoid the waste of resources that is AI. As some people already mentioned, this is antithetical to the Mozilla Manifesto and it should be removed from the browser.

[StoryWonker]

Absolutely not. I use Firefox because it works. I don't want it bogged down by useless pseudotechnologies designed solely to prop up silicon valley investment bubbles.

[MarkBoyd]

Hi there, where can i read the due diligence or AI governance decision making process taken by mozilla to ensure:

- energy consumption for this feature is not exorbitant

- workers involved in training of models were paid appropriately and not exploited

- data used in training models met copyright requirements especially for small and independent creators

- accuracy of responses continually met high thresholds especially in area with high risk (health misinformation, political disinformation, etc)

Where on mozilla’s website can this information be found in regards to explicitly choosing go integrate this feature.

[Zixha]

NO AI

[Firesphere]

No

[Shalf]

Thanks but no thanks.

[Tex_Graham]

Stop it. Don't implement anything and instead use Ai as a differentiator from all the other browser vendors cramming this down our throats. You're supposed to be the browser that cares about privacy.

[alndmrs]

Could you spend time and money in actually improving this browser instead of adding more crap on it? Generative AI is not ethical tech, neither environmental friendly. Who would even say it's private, as companies need to scrape files from people without their consent. Ironically privacy is what this goddamn browser was supposed to be focused on. You could be different from anyone else, but no, the hype is so good.

[dduane]

Guys... NO.

Please, please: NO. Please don't give us reason to mistrust the only piece of software we've been able to unreservedly trust until now. 😕

Thanks. (And also: NO.)

[Saeldis]

Congrats on getting me to make an account, I guess.

Do NOT do this. I'd literally rather have a feature that zapped me every time I got distracted on the internet (which, given the ADHD...) than an LLM baked into my browser.

The unethical nature of LLMs is so broadly known even amongst the technologically semiliterate that there's roughly 0% chance you're not aware. At this point, I have to assume you're amongst the men who just want to watch the world burn (literally, considering the enhanced demands on the power grid from LLM Server farms).

The ethical issues are myriad. The strain on the power grid results in many knock-on effects that are detrimental to the most vulnerable among us. Environmental impacts, rising cost of energy to run things like heat, medical devices, refrigerators, increased wear on grid infrastructure... All so we can... Blatantly violate copyright in our endeavor to more poorly express ourselves? Proliferate misinformation? No really, what? Because I've seen what happens when people use LLMs instead of writing for themselves, and it wasn't good.

These companies literally run off of stolen data. They cannot even begin to claim even a passing interest in maintaining privacy.

Rethink your choices, because this one is shameful. We do not want, let alone need, the integration of LLMs into the browser. Not now, not ever.

[kieranimo]

Actively do not want any built-in AI integrations. Just let Firefox's focus be being a good web browser, please, we beg of you.

[risualto]

Please, please, do not do this.  Please keep AI out of our browser.  Please.

[lilibat]

Please just no. This stuff is useless. 

[galactic-pirate]

Absolutely not. You do this and I am either locking into a version that pre-dates the AI, or I am looking elsewhere. I am sick to death of AI in everything. I don’t want it, don’t need it and quite frankly hate it.

I thought Firefox was supposed to be the good one? The one that valued privacy and user protection.

[KatherineED07]

Absolutely not. I don't care that it's optional, this will decrease the likelihood that I continue to use firefox and lowers my perception of the brand and product.

[LordFreed]

Firefox user here; I think AI shouldn't be added to Firefox. Current generative ai models require massive amounts of theft to function while not actually performing any useful tasks that aren't better performed by a search engine.

[sussexbound]

No thank you.  I know this is optional, but I don't feel the browser needs it at all.  I use Firefox so I don't have to deal with this sort of thing, tbh.

[mari]

no, thanks. AI function is not needed in Firefox and is detrimental to both our planet and our internet spaces. thanks for the Firefox team for everything y'all do, but this is one feature I would gladly scrap immediately.