Firefox will have an option to disable all AI features

Post by catapart » Thu, Dec 18, 2025, 10:01 PM UTC

ekr____ wrote: post #119

catapart wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What about it? If it's output is generated by the manipulation of tensors and weights, it doesn't belong in my browser. It's not there to because I need to browse, it's there because I want to read content that is not in a language that the content provider has supported for me. I could feed those network responses right into a separate, non-browser app and have it translate stuff for me, if I wanted. Why should I be…

> Why should I be required to download and ignore your translation feature, when I could just as easily not have it included in the first place? This seems like special pleading. The browser (and any software package) is full of features that some people use and others don't. Just off the top of my head, these include: the password manager, PDF viewer, dev tools, and the extensions store. Each new SKU that the vendor…

Post by alexgotoi » Thu, Dec 18, 2025, 10:04 PM UTC

bstsb wrote: post #140

alexgotoi wrote: post #131

This is exactly the kind of boring, unsexy feature that actually builds trust. It’s the opposite of the usual “surprise, here’s an AI sidebar you didn’t ask for and can’t fully disable” pattern. If they want people to try this stuff, the path is pretty simple: ship a browser that treats AI like any other power feature. Off by default, clearly explained, reversible, and preferably shippable as an extension. You can al…

saying "trying to slow down, I promise" doesn't magically make your blatant advert not spam edit: the original post ended with words to the tune of "Totally unrelated, but I run [insert newsletter here]... "

Post by AuthAuth » Thu, Dec 18, 2025, 10:08 PM UTC

andrepd wrote: post #138

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.…

> Without AI enabled features + agent mode being first class citizens, this will be a non-starter in 2 years. The confidence with which people say these things... s/AI/NFT and I've heard this exact sentence many times before.

Post by starik36 » Thu, Dec 18, 2025, 10:10 PM UTC

tsimionescu wrote: post #133

tgsovlerkhgsel wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why? Imagine you have an AI button. When you click it, the locally running LLM gets a copy of the web site in the context window, and you get to ask it a prompt, e.g. "summarize this". Imagine the browser asks you at some point, whether you want to hear about new features. The buttons offered to you are "FUCK OFF AND NEVER, EVER BOTHER ME AGAIN", "Please show me a summary once a month", "Show timely, non-modal notifi…

> When you click it, the locally running LLM gets a copy of the web site in the context window, and you get to ask it a prompt, e.g. "summarize this". I'm also now imagining my GPU whirring into life and the accompanying sound of a jetplane getting ready for takeoff, as my battery suddenly starts draining visibly. Local LLMs for are a pipe dream, the technology fundamentally requires far too much computation for any…

Post by MisterTea » Thu, Dec 18, 2025, 10:11 PM UTC

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.…