Mozilla's opposition to Chrome's Prompt API • Hacker News Board

Re: Mozilla's opposition to Chrome's Prompt API

#61

Post by ultratalk » Thu, Apr 30, 2026, 11:30 AM UTC

raincole wrote: post #22

fg137 wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It doesn't make sense at all. So as a user how do you choose which model to use? There could be 3824 models to choose from. The browser might as well set one as default, and we all know how that goes (see: search engine). Not to mention many other UX questions the come with this, most importantly, how unusable these local models are on regular 3-year old laptops that are constrained in RAM, GPU/CPU capability and lik…

> It doesn't make sense at all. So as a user how do you choose which model to use? There could be 3824 models to choose from. The browser might as well set one as default, and we all know how that goes (see: search engine). ...what's the exact problem here? Believe it or not, most non-tech-savvy users use the search engine just fine.

With regards to search engines, Google paid billions of dollars [0] to become the default on major browsers. I guess GP's implying that something similar might happen with LLMs.

[0] https://www.reuters.com/technology/google-paid-26-bln-be-def...

Re: Mozilla's opposition to Chrome's Prompt API

#62

Post by tuesdaynight » Thu, Apr 30, 2026, 11:34 AM UTC

jaffathecake wrote: post #36

swyx wrote: post #32

^ didnt realize who posted the opposition - this is Jake Archibald, a longtime googler on the Chrome team, now joining Mozilla and posting opposition to the Chrome API. no wonder the criticism is so well argued. most be a relief to not have to toe the party line on this one.

Aww thanks! To be fair I didn't toe the party line when I was at Google (imo). Although, that caused me increasing amount of grief internally, until I left. From what I hear, things have gotten exponentially worse in that regard for folks still on the team.

Hey, Jake, not related with your post, but I just want to say that HTTP203 were one of the best web dev content that I've ever consumed. Amazing mix between humour and tech discussion. Thank you!

Re: Mozilla's opposition to Chrome's Prompt API

#63

Post by tuesdaynight » Thu, Apr 30, 2026, 11:41 AM UTC

Wowfunhappy wrote: post #56

> According to Chrome's documentation, to use the prompt API you must 'acknowledge' Google's Generative AI Prohibited Uses Policy. Elements of this policy go beyond law. For example: >> Do not engage … generating or distributing content that facilitates … Sexually explicit content Do not engage in misinformation, misrepresentation, or misleading activities. This includes … Facilitating misleading claims related to go…

Why is Google doing this? They would need to moderate the use of the API, right? What they could gain having to moderate use of a browser's API?

Re: Mozilla's opposition to Chrome's Prompt API

#64

Post by 8organicbits » Thu, Apr 30, 2026, 11:43 AM UTC

bakugo wrote: post #49

tomashubelbauer wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

IME young people mostly hate AI.

Do they really? Hating on AI slop is a common sentiment on social media, but remember that the opinions you see on social media are often not representative of what the general population thinks at all. I keep hearing stories about how homework is now useless because every student just gets ChatGPT to do it for them, and from personal experience, I'm inclined to believe them.

> every student just gets ChatGPT to do it

I don't believe every student uses a calculator to solve their math homework, so what makes ChatGPT unique here? For certain subjects the ability to cheat has been trivial for a long time, yet there was no crisis.

Re: Mozilla's opposition to Chrome's Prompt API

#65

Post by ilaksh » Thu, Apr 30, 2026, 11:49 AM UTC

dannyw wrote: post #52

austin-cheney wrote: post #40

I wonder if this is a generational thing of fresh young people that already cannot live without LLMs versus crusty old people that don’t want to require a super computer just to run a web browser that violates all their privacy. To me this sounds like the point where people start looking at and developing alternatives to the browser/web.

This isn’t Mozilla taking a stance against AI. It’s them articulating clear and logical reasons why the proposed API, in its current state, is bad for web interoperability.

Did they propose a specific alternative (non-extension) API?

Re: Mozilla's opposition to Chrome's Prompt API

#66

Post by jaffathecake » Thu, Apr 30, 2026, 11:53 AM UTC

tuesdaynight wrote: post #62

jaffathecake wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Aww thanks! To be fair I didn't toe the party line when I was at Google (imo). Although, that caused me increasing amount of grief internally, until I left. From what I hear, things have gotten exponentially worse in that regard for folks still on the team.

Hey, Jake, not related with your post, but I just want to say that HTTP203 were one of the best web dev content that I've ever consumed. Amazing mix between humour and tech discussion. Thank you!

Aww thanks for saying that! I've been doing little videos on https://www.youtube.com/@FirefoxWebDevs (and accounts of the same name, pretty much everywhere). Although they're designed to be short, so they're pretty different to HTTP203.

Re: Mozilla's opposition to Chrome's Prompt API

#67

Post by aljaz823 » Thu, Apr 30, 2026, 11:56 AM UTC

ilaksh wrote: post #65

dannyw wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This isn’t Mozilla taking a stance against AI. It’s them articulating clear and logical reasons why the proposed API, in its current state, is bad for web interoperability.

Did they propose a specific alternative (non-extension) API?

Why would they need to?

Re: Mozilla's opposition to Chrome's Prompt API

#68

Post by austin-cheney » Thu, Apr 30, 2026, 11:56 AM UTC

archargelod wrote: post #54

tomashubelbauer wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

IME young people mostly hate AI.

Young people love AI when it helps them cheat homework, or when used for roleplay and memes. Generating "content" with AI - is generally more hated, especially art and video.

Sounds hypocritical.

Re: Mozilla's opposition to Chrome's Prompt API

#69

Post by GaryBluto » Thu, Apr 30, 2026, 11:57 AM UTC

austin-cheney wrote: post #40

I wonder if this is a generational thing of fresh young people that already cannot live without LLMs versus crusty old people that don’t want to require a super computer just to run a web browser that violates all their privacy. To me this sounds like the point where people start looking at and developing alternatives to the browser/web.

> that don’t want to require a super computer just to run a web browser that violates all their privacy.

That shipped sailed in 2008.

Re: Mozilla's opposition to Chrome's Prompt API

#70

Post by whatisthiseven » Thu, Apr 30, 2026, 11:58 AM UTC

DaSHacka wrote: post #51

kilroy123 wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The young kids I know who are into tech love AI. Albeit this is from a small sample size.

Funnily enough, most of the young people I know fall somewhere between those two sides of the spectrum. I know some actual luddite-tier AI haters that believe it's ontologically evil, and another majoring in Data Science that went to the most recent career fair and told a recruiter "AI will replace you" (I uh don't think he's getting that internship) And of course many, many, others that fall between the two extremes…

The biggest irony with telling a recruiter they'll be replaced, is how much easier a data scientist is to replace with LLMs. With their sycophantic nature, execs will eat up whatever "data" the LLMs make up, too.