06-21-2024 11:55 AM - last edited on 10-18-2024 02:19 PM by Jon
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!
09-10-2024 02:11 AM
Set up a forum profile just to complain about this – even regardless of my own (negative) opinions on generative AI, I dislike the idea of these kinds of additions being baked into the browser. If a user wants AI integration/easy access/whatever, then install an add-on for it. I use Firefox because it's easy to use and its additions are privacy focused; if Firefox starts adding fluff like this I'll look for another browser.
09-10-2024 02:17 AM
It's a nice feature and an idea in principle.
However, there are problems with the implementation that prevent me from using it:
1. There is no indication of which models are local-only, which models send data to 3rd party services, which models are based on free/open source software.
2. A checkbox to limit the selection to preferred service types: local only + does not send data outside + FOSS that limits the options available from the dropdown will help ensure I have the right model for my usecase.
It's more likely I will use this service if these are implemented.
09-10-2024 02:20 AM
No.
"Make accessing our favorite tools and services in Firefox even easier" by removing unnecessary and dangerous stuff, thank you very much.
09-10-2024 02:21 AM
What would the purpose of this even be? You ask to test to see if it would be a helpful feature, which means you dont even have a specific use in mind. Adding something like this will bloat the browser, one that people go to because it doesn't pull all of the nonsense that other browsers do. Adding AI would lose that trust from your users
09-10-2024 02:24 AM
Please do not do this! AI wastes a lot of water and energy, besides the fact that, as we've seen, AI results on Chrome are utter garbage!
09-10-2024 02:26 AM
No. AI is built on STOLEN material, and it lies. It doesn't create, it doesn't give you an answer, it writes what it thinks you want to read and makes the rest up. You're the last good browser, please don't ruin it with the brainless plagiarism machine. This isn't an improvement, this is horrible. I'm already looking at other browsers DO NOT TAINT AND POISON A GOOD THING!
09-10-2024 02:30 AM
i think the ROI on this is pretty dismal. it's like trying to jump on betamax. even if this incarnation of AI were really feasible in the long-term, i think you get more clout from your userbase (and potential new users) by avoiding it entirely.
09-10-2024 02:35 AM
I made an account here entirely just to say "please don't do this, if you do I will immediately start looking for an alternative browser that doesn't have this"
09-10-2024 02:38 AM
No thank you, I like Mozilla being AI free. In fact that is the very reason why I have it.. 😞
09-10-2024 02:42 AM
No, thank you! Based on how AI services like ChatGPT affect the environment, I'm not going to even touch it.
09-10-2024 02:48 AM
NO THANK YOU
09-10-2024 02:52 AM
I would like to respectfully state that no AI services should be introduced to Firefox. Introducing AI to Firefox would lead to bloat and degradation of crucial browsing experience due to slowdown and performance loss.
In addition AI itself should never be a development priority to Firefox because it will lead to a scope creep and redirection of resources from more crucial areas
09-10-2024 02:58 AM
Please, god, NO. NO NO NO. I will stop using Firefox and switch to some underground browser with less than a hundred users over this. DO NOT ADD AI. NOBODY WANTS AI. STOP IT.
09-10-2024 03:03 AM
This would convince me to leave Firefox
09-10-2024 03:03 AM
Not interested, the Ai I've seen from other browsers is chock full of incorrect information and makes it much harder to find what I'm actually looking for.
09-10-2024 03:18 AM
I wouldn't personally use AI features at all. And, given the resources of Mozilla, such features couldn't compete with those of tech giants anyway. I'd prefer Mozilla to focus its limited resources on something that has a major positive impact on everyday use like Firefox performance, especially on Linux.
NOT having AI features would actually be a unique differentiator and cost much less.
09-10-2024 03:17 AM
AI has proven to have a massively negative environmental impact. Additionally, it relies entirely on stolen material scraped without consent and frequently provides incorrect and even dangerous information. Firefox would be better served WITHOUT AI, and the incorporation of AI would dramatically reduce my usage of the browser. I like Firefox BECAUSE it doesn't have AI incorporated into it.
09-10-2024 03:16 AM - edited 09-10-2024 03:20 AM
If this goes through to the stable branch I'll be moving to a fork or a new browser altogether. Aside from the ethical concerns of AI and the fact of hallucinations causing dangerous misinformation. You are adding a new attack surface to the entire userbases devices for the "benefit" of an comparably tiny portion of users. It doesn't matter that it is currently disabled by default, it could be triggered by bad actors, accidentally turned on through an automatic update, or one of these terrible AI companies might have a data breach or sell the data themselves. This is a horrendous idea that goes against your userbases values, and the responses by employees in this thread are quite disappointing.
09-10-2024 03:21 AM
I'd really rather you not, thank you. A lot of people are morally opposed to AI being used in most any capacity. It's a passing trend and your user base would really appreciate if you didn't hop on the bandwagon on this one.
Thanks
09-10-2024 03:21 AM
I don't want AI added to the experience of using Firefox. I won't use it. It's unnecessary.
And I especially don't want it if it uses any data I input as training, or scrapes that data to pass on to third parties.
09-10-2024 03:25 AM
Please don't. There's already way too much AI going around which is useless and an ecological nightmare and I don't want to use it, have it, be forced to use it or persuaded to see if I might just want to try it out coz maybe I might like it. The faster (generative) AI dies, the better.
09-10-2024 03:29 AM
09-10-2024 03:28 AM
The most cited researcher in the world compares large language models to nuclear weapons and global pandemics.
Dear god stop. Now. It is energy hungry unethical behavior to use dangerous and useless tools
09-10-2024 03:34 AM
Aside from all the issues with genAI i'm certain others have already mentioned, as well as the fact that this is entirely unasked for, I must ask: what value, exactly, is this supposed to bring? What great use do we have for an integrated AI feature that we can't easily get, if we really need it, from elsewhere? I mean, AI doesn't work as a search engine. A lot of email services and other platforms already have integrated AI to summarise things and other such tasks, if needed. Who are these supposed users who intensely need AI so often and so much and for so many things (that don't already have AI) that it would benefit them to have it right on the browser, and what do they do?
And are we certain these people are not imaginary?
09-10-2024 03:34 AM - edited 09-10-2024 03:39 AM
Absolutely the f- not.
This adds zero value to your product and guarantees I will switch away from it. As C_C_ said, there's no use for it. As Luckless says, its a new attack surface with the bonus features of hallucinating information and a severe ethical issue to go with! Wretched idea.
09-10-2024 03:33 AM
No need to add ai. it's useless at best, harmful at worst and most of the time just creepy. Adding AI will make me less likely to keep using Firefox. No thanks.
09-10-2024 03:36 AM
I note that this has now been added as an (unticked) option in Firerfox 130.
You invite me to try it. I won't as I am not aware of any use case where it would be useful to me.
All LLMs are plagiarist, they steal other peoples intellectual property. They also produce bull**bleep** instead of useful answers - plausible sentences that may or may not be true.
I am not against all Machine Learning. I find the local language translation feature you have recently added useful, but I have already had block LLM so-called summaries in Google and DuckDuckGo search. as they have also gone down this rabbit hole.
They also consume incredible quantities of energy, water to run and to training and the resources need to make the hardware they run on. They are the anti-solution to the real problems we have as a species that is trashing our planet.
I would much rather Mozilla concentrate on giving users, such as myself, what they want, which is a fast, efficient browser that respects user privacy, rather than spending resources on the total deadend that is LLMs.
09-10-2024 03:37 AM
please no christ maybe my favourite thing about firefox is that it’s the one place that isn’t trying to shove ai down my throat don’t take that away if you want to ruin the climate more just set some tyres on fire at hq or something
09-10-2024 03:43 AM
literally made a goddamn account to tell you how much i don’t want ai in firefox it makes the user experience worse it scrapes data people didn’t consent to give and it wastes water and energy everybody loses. bad choice for a browser a lot of people (including me) use bc they feel it’s more ethical/transparent than the alternatives
09-10-2024 03:38 AM
I would very much like to be able to opt out of all AI connections before they have a nanosecond's chance of accessing my work. Or of using me as an excuse for accessing others' work.
09-10-2024 03:42 AM
The most cited researcher in the world compared LLM with nuclear war and pandemics.
Please for **bleep**s sake stop.
It is a unethical energy hungry dangerous tool that solves no problem.
Stop
Stop
Stop
09-10-2024 03:41 AM
Please don't make this a thing or even an optional thing! This kind of AI hurts creators of all kinds, wastes power, is horrible for the environment, and often produces a homunculus of false information that does no good to the world. Please don't make this a thing you are literally the only browser left that I trust!!!!
09-10-2024 03:42 AM
please don't use AI. I don't want this in my browser even if its a feature that can be turned off. AI is ruining everything I love and care about, it's sickening to see it implemented everywhere now.
09-10-2024 03:56 AM
God no please no. Firefox is beloved because it respects users privacy. AI for now is pretty much useless besides scraping users data. Fckn get misinformation quicker button stealing from fanfic writers from ao3
09-10-2024 04:00 AM
Please do not add AI (statistical software/language model) functionality to Firefox. Firefox is open source; the involvement of AI companies are antithetical to this. Furthermore, the environmental impacts (power and water usage) of the computers used to run AI are unforgivable. AI services are unethical. Resist theft by corporations and en**bleep**tification! Do not add AI services!
09-10-2024 04:02 AM
Good lord, no, I would switch browsers if this happened
09-10-2024 04:04 AM
Hello,
Please don't spend time integrating ai into Firefox that could be spent on other projects. AI generation is often factually incorrect and not helpful, and uses a crazy amount of resources to spit out that wrong answer. Adding ai to Firefox, even in a smalll and optional way, actually makes me less likely to use the browser as I start to worry what data you're using and from where.
09-10-2024 04:05 AM
Knock it off Mozilla, nobody wants this crap in Firefox. Stop trying to turn your browser into Chrome. It's gone on far too long. If I want to use Chrome, I will use Chrome. Or any other browser besides Firefox. Focus on your strengths or the community will take matters into their own hands, which has already begun with recent forks like Floorp.
09-10-2024 04:07 AM
Recently, I was forced to open Edge because a government website refused to work on anything else. It was the worst browsing experience I've had in years, and that was mostly because of Microsoft trying to integrate Copilot into every interaction to "help" me. Please don't follow this en**bleep**tification trend. Even ignoring whatever ethical and environmental issues almost certainly plague the models these services are built on, it seems like a terrible idea just from a user experience perspective.
09-10-2024 04:09 AM
Please do not. "AI" as it exists now is a serious problem and not good. Do not go the way of Chrome and Google, I beg of you.