Firefox will have an option to disable all AI features

Post by ivanmontillam » Thu, Dec 18, 2025, 7:23 PM UTC

yoavm wrote: post #14

joduplessis wrote: post #11

> We've been calling it the AI kill switch internally. I'm sure it'll ship with a less murderous name, but that's how seriously and absolutely we're taking this. Honestly, is anybody reading what's getting written anymore? If it gets taken seriously it would ship with an enable-AI button, not the other way round.

I love threads about Mozilla. New CEO says he's not going to remove adblockers, people suspect him for planning to remove adblockers. Mozilla says they'll add a killswitch for all AI features (so that the tiny but vocal anti-AI minority will be happy), and people blame them for not having it as an enable-switch. Whatever they do, they simply cannot win. I'm personally starting to suspect the main issue with Mozilla i…

Post by moderation » Thu, Dec 18, 2025, 7:24 PM UTC

Quot wrote: post #38

t1234s wrote: post #34

Is there a fork of firefox where you have all the same core functionality and support for extensions but with all the mozilla services (pocket, safe browsing, forced crap on the new tab page, any AI service, etc...) removed?

My preference is Zen ( https://zen-browser.app/ ), but there's also LibreWolf ( https://librewolf.net/ ) if you want a less customized fork.

Post by freehorse » Thu, Dec 18, 2025, 7:32 PM UTC

forgotpwd16 wrote: post #18

ronsor wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I haven't paid close attention, but as far as I can tell, Mozilla has mostly invested in local AI for tasks such as translation, summarization, and organization. As long as that's the case, I don't see any particular safety or privacy risks; if it works without an Internet connection, it's probably OK.

Summarization is using a chosen cloud-based AI provider.

Post by afavour » Thu, Dec 18, 2025, 7:36 PM UTC

gigel82 wrote: post #30

samschooler wrote: post #23

I'm going to chime in here, I think 1. This is great and Mozilla is listening to it's core fans and 2. I want Firefox to be a competitive browser. Without AI enabled features + agent mode being first class citizens, this will be a non-starter in 2 years. I want my non-tech family members/friends to install Firefox not because I come over at Christmas, but because they want to. Because it's a browser that "just works.…

I'd love to live in your world for a bit... I can't imagine any future where having AI in your browser is a net positive for any user. It sounds like an absolute dystopian privacy and security nightmare.

Post by marricks » Thu, Dec 18, 2025, 7:37 PM UTC

joduplessis wrote: post #11

> We've been calling it the AI kill switch internally. I'm sure it'll ship with a less murderous name, but that's how seriously and absolutely we're taking this. Honestly, is anybody reading what's getting written anymore? If it gets taken seriously it would ship with an enable-AI button, not the other way round.