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!

[Saturniidae]

Et Tu, Firefox?

I thought you were better than trying to shoehorn AI (aka The Greenhouse Gas Generator That Also Says Dumb Stuff You Could Have Easily Googled) into our browsers.

[NotGagarin]

Stop chasing hype. AI is a copyright nightmare and terrible for the environment. I want no part of it in my browser. Please remove this now.

People, did you know that one 100 word email generated by ChatGPT uses 1 bottle of water or enough electricity to power the lights in a house for an hour [1]? We're being asked to buy into AI chatbots that nobody needs and nearly nobody wants, and to build them we're measurably worsening the climate crisis. This has to stop.

[1]: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/09/18/energy-ai-use-electricity-water-data-centers/ (non paywall version: https://archive.is/iuQk0)

[evrenio]

A local AI with some limited task focused intelligence may upgrade Firefox to became a real user-agent that is actually favors the benefit of the users. Please give us that either backed by Ollama so people can choose the model they prefer or a tiny fine tuned model embedded into Firefox. But first, please let us define our own prompts, right now it's way too limited.

[eldritchonline]

No, we don't need or want AI as part of our user experience.

[Bobbieve]

Please no. Firefox is the only safely usable webbrowser left, please don't add AI to ruin that.

[Doaxan]

Cool feature, I wish it was always in the browser and worked well. But I really wish the list of providers was bigger and not limited by anything. It would also be possible to use local models. 👍

[miclgael1]

Don't want it. Didn't ask for it. I use Firefox to get away from things like this.

[Doaxan]

I don't understand what you don't like about AI? If you don't like it, don't use it, but don't interfere with the comfortable use of convenient functionality

[miclgael1]

Please see all other feature requests that are in limbo for years on this website. My view is this garbage interferes with those.

[Onibull]

Destroys the environment for one, steals peoples **bleep** (things they've worked hard to achieve, or even their jobs and faces) for another, and it is spreading misinformation in the way of 'answers.' Very plain answers. Perhapse look into why people are saying something is bad? There are loads of comments here talking about this stuff but either you're gonna try and say it doesn't matter or you'll actually look into things. (there is no don't like don't use with how this is being forced everywhere, 'but there's a button that says 'off and on' isn't helping anything)

[javiergcim]

I understand that your intentions are good, but here's the reality: generative AI cannot be uninvented. And for AI to become more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly, there has to be a very strong incentive, and that comes from being used.

AI is not just chatbots. It can also be used to solve the very problems being mentioned.

So yes, we need to be very responsible with the use of AI, but trying to discard or eradicate it is not only a completely disconnected idea from reality, it can't even end well.

In the end, I trust that, due to users' own selfish interests, the use of AI will eventually be restricted to what is truly useful, after the hype and the bubble. We need a high level of awareness about its use. Large information campaigns. But total denial of it is absurd.

[lackey]

That's like saying cars and roads can't be uninvented, and the only way to fix their environmental problems is to make more cars and add more lanes to our roads.

[MikeCerm]

We're not going back to a time when everyone walked everywhere. Cars and roads can't be uninvented, but we can mitigate the impact of cars and roads by replacing cars with ebikes and scooters. Right now, AI is in the cars-and-roads phase. Most people using it are using enormous models in the cloud that are massively overpowered because of the arms race that is occurring. This is a bubble that will burst, and when it does, it will be because of small-scale AI running locally, which doesn't have nearly the same impact.

[javiergcim]

No, it's not like saying that. Please set aside analogies that seem clever if you truly want to make an argument. It's not an argument. It's a parody, a joke. But it doesn't have an inch of depth.

Thank you.

[anorax]

No AI.

I don't want AI in my favorite web browser. I don't want AI at all. We don't need AI.

AI is responsible of the ensh1tt1f1cation of the web and the ensh1tt1f1cation of the world.

AI is an environmental crime. We have to reduce our impact, not increase it!

[lilliana]

wat if the electricity used was from renewables Lol

[lilliana]

FEEDBACK ON AI SERVICES EXPERIMENT IN FIREFOX NIGHTLY

Thank you for introducing this experimental feature and seeking user feedback. I'm excited about the potential of AI services integration in Firefox and wanted to share my positive experiences and thoughts.

Benefits I've Experienced

• Time-saving: The AI services have significantly reduced the time I spend on tasks like summarizing web content and simplifying complex language.
• Enhanced Learning: The ability to quiz myself on webpage content has improved my comprehension and retention of information.
• Improved Productivity: Having AI assistance readily available in the sidebar streamlines my workflow without the need to switch between different applications or tabs.

Appreciation for the Implementation Approach

I particularly appreciate how Mozilla has approached this feature:

1. Opt-in Nature: The fact that this functionality is entirely optional and needs to be manually activated shows respect for users who may have concerns about AI integration.
2. Separation from Core Functionality: By keeping AI services separate from Firefox's core features, you've maintained the browser's integrity while still offering advanced capabilities to those who want them.
3. Experimental Stage: Starting with a nightly experiment allows for valuable user feedback and iterative improvement before a wider release.

Suggestions for Consideration

While I'm already finding the feature useful, here are a few ideas that could potentially enhance the experience:

1. Core Functionality/Opt-in: Keep it as it currently is—many who raise concerns about AI often overlook that they can simply opt out.
2. Privacy Controls: Implement granular privacy settings for users who want to use the feature but have specific data concerns.
3. Integration with Firefox Sync: Enable syncing of AI-related settings and preferences across devices for a consistent experience.

Closing Thoughts

I believe this experiment represents a forward-thinking approach to browser functionality. By offering AI capabilities as an optional feature, Firefox is catering to diverse user needs while respecting individual preferences. This balance is crucial in today's digital landscape.

I encourage Mozilla to continue developing and refining this feature based on user feedback. It has the potential to significantly enhance the browsing experience for many users without compromising Firefox's core values of privacy and user control.

Thank you for your commitment to innovation and user-centric design. I look forward to seeing how this feature evolves.

[miclgael1]

You sound like a robot

[RattyTatTat]

Thats because they probably generated this whole thing with chatgpt

[lilliana]

how’d u figure that out?? lol, i used it to help make sure there’s no errors n stuff. it’s not like I just told it to spit out a random review and just posted without reading lol, I spent time going over it and putting in my own thoughts on the feature and why i think it’s cool. but it wouldn’t let me post it in impact font, all caps, with light yellow text on a white background so i had to waste time going back to fix that multiple times, but yeh

in short, well done on spotting the obvious, but that doesn’t really say anything about the content of my review

[miclgael1]

No one will read your review because it doesn't look human. Your reply looks human. I read that. 🙂

[lilliana]

That's ok the feedback was specifically for Mozilla there's not much for you to gain by reading it

edit: that one u said looks human was written by A I


now that is scary 👻

[lackey]

By its nature, AI is incapable of being deceptive (or honest) because it cannot think or reason. But because it is built to respond in a way that will please the people that use it, it can often come off as deceptive. 

But you, however... I don't understand why you are taking pleasure in adopting the persona of deception, as if you are proving something other than the worthlessness of engaging in something generated by a chatbot.

[DysProg]

And here is chat-gpt speaking in their own defense.

[Likemea]

dystopian

[MikeCerm]

Only interested in this if it can connect to local LLMs, Ollama, etc.. I do understand why so many people are so vocally opposed to this completely optional feature. Those people are short-sighted, for sure, but if the default option here was "run your own local LLM completely privately, nothing goes to the cloud ever," and then also offered an option to connect to the corporate LLMs in the cloud for the people who want it, I think the pushback would be lessened. Brave recently introduced the ability to connect to your own self-hosted LLM, and I have found that useful.

[genuinelywish]

It's only "completely optional" until it isn't.

[linus_at]

It would be great to be able to include services of your choice, not just those by default included in Firefox. For instance, I would love to use Perplexity in the sidebar.

[PlsNo]

Please don't. I'd rather not have any AI functionality in Firefox.

[genuinelywish]

Jesus, I come here to complain about the ugly tab search button and see this crap? I genuinely might have to switch to a fork of Firefox.

[nozilla]

Just **bleep**ing don't, nobody asked for this, nobody needs this, you're assholes.

[emmaharris]

I would rather this is an opt in service that I can purposefully enable or disable in the settings. I do not approve of AI and how it harvests my personal search, and browsing history to build a profile of me. I also do not approve the use of AI as it gets in the way of me and I like to write my responses myself.

[thatMan11111]

Can you maybe just add a button for to call the chatbot because I need to highlight something first and choose summary even when I just want to call the chatbot.

[datcu-octavian]

Please add a keyboard shortcut. Useful for those who want to see the sidebar only when needed.

[fortiter]

I met two problems:

1. The icon of AI occupies the place owned to my translator's. So I could not use it conveniently. It's really annoying.

2. Is there a way to alternate more online AI models and my local models, instead of the limited choices?

[Taprooted]

Absolutely not. I moved to Firefox because it's not like the other mainstream browsers. We don't need this.

[StarMoss]

I've been a longtime user of Firefox, and I am incredibly disappointed  to see Mozilla adding AI to its browser. My loyalty to Firefox was born from the privacy features and what seemed to me a sensible reluctance to follow along with all the ill-conceived new features tech companies are spitting out these days.

Due to the incredible, negative environmental impact AI has, the ethically questionable datasets most AI are trained on, and the fact that genAI just straight up sucks from a quality standpoint of its output, I am very against Mozilla making this a permanent feature of Firefox.

[AndyDroid10X]

I really don't get all of that people. I guess people who are good with AI like me just use AI features happily, while others could just don't turn those features on, but instead they're commenting around that Firefox is not about AI, AI is bad, they collect their data etc. While I understand the concerns about privacy, I feel OK with that features as long as they're not turned on by default or work as a part of core features like in windows.

I love Orbit and I love that side panel, it's just useful.

[tuxayo]

NO. The actual software running is not libre.
Even if the training algorithm would be libre. The training data isn't.
Even if the training data would be libre. It's impossible to train with reasonable hardware for most collectives of people. We basically invented a programming paradigm that is impossible to compile for almost anyone.
And most AI usage is impossible to host with reasonable resources.

What happened to Principle 7 of The Mozilla Manifesto? https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/about/manifesto/

Most AI usage can't have the concrete benefits of libre software: massively lowering the dependence on a vendor. Whether it's about disagreement on choices or availability on the long term.

Also Principle 6. As of now, most AI usage can only end of in more centralization.

There can be compromises on these principles if having a very very strong reason. Like for translations, automated subtitles, text to speech, because it's accessibility and there are immense benefits there.

[MikeCerm]

There are lots of free/libre LLMs and implementations like ollama. AI is going to happen, whether you want it or not, and if companies like Mozilla don't push for free and open-source options, then the only implementations that matter will be the proprietary ones.

As for the training data, I think there needs to be a reckoning. I'm kind of a fair-use absolutist, so I don't really where the data comes from, and I want it to come from everywhere. I believe that public libraries infringe on copyright, and are a public good because everyone deserves to have access to information. I don't believe that a writer like Stephen King is harmed if people read all of his stories and then attempt to write their own original stories based on the love of what they have read. I also don't see the difference in allowing a person to build a machine capable of reading those stories and attempting to generate new stories by incorporating new and original ideas, i.e., "prompts."

It used to require a skilled artisan to make clothing. Then looms were invented, along with other machines that make clothing so cheap that almost anyone can afford to have it. I think that's a good thing. I mean, it's not great that there is industrial waste that occurs in the process and fast fashion is not great, but I don't think we should return to a time when most people couldn't afford clothing.

AI is going to automate things that previously had to be done by hand, with massive time investments. That is all. It's still going to require skilled people to use it to create things of value. But the tools should be available to everyone, and Mozilla should help make them available as part of their mission for a free and open web.