Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Mozilla's opposition to Chrome's Prompt API

github.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

31–40 of 248 posts

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

#31

Post by noirscape »

benterix wrote: post #7

> Browsers and operating systems are increasingly expected to gain access to language models.[0] Are they? [0] https://github.com/webmachinelearning/prompt-api/blob/main/R...

It's the typical "cart before the horse" kind of corporate tech talk. It's pretty standard if Silicon Valley wants to sell shit that nobody actually wants; they just assume that people will want it, regardless whether or not they actually want it. Most of the tech press is too obsessed with retaining their "access" to actually be critical of this sort of thing, and most of the regular press doesn't care enough to actually investigate.

We've seen this sort of song and dance before, crypto jumps to mind. Remember when social media sites suddenly were all about those hexagonal avatars? Most of this stuff is really in that same vein.

(Which to be clear, users don't want this. AI pushes by pretty much all recent user feedback metrics are largely tiring out users and reek of corporate desperation to sell shit. It's only a very specific subsection of Silicon Valley that wants to stuff AI in everything like this.)

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

#32

Post by swyx »

^ 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.

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

#33

Post by stingraycharles »

noirscape wrote: post #31
benterix wrote: post #7

> Browsers and operating systems are increasingly expected to gain access to language models.[0] Are they? [0] https://github.com/webmachinelearning/prompt-api/blob/main/R...

It's the typical "cart before the horse" kind of corporate tech talk. It's pretty standard if Silicon Valley wants to sell shit that nobody actually wants; they just assume that people will want it, regardless whether or not they actually want it. Most of the tech press is too obsessed with retaining their "access" to actually be critical of this sort of thing, and most of the regular press doesn't care enough to act…

I think the resentment for Copilot is pretty much universal. People like AI, when it’s not forced upon them.

A lot of these products feel unguided by an “everything must become AI” FOMO movement, rather than actual thoughtful integrations.

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

#34

Post by loloquwowndueo »

clscott wrote: post #21
benterix wrote: post #7

> Browsers and operating systems are increasingly expected to gain access to language models.[0] Are they? [0] https://github.com/webmachinelearning/prompt-api/blob/main/R...

Those exact words are the positioning statement (start the second paragraph) of the document you linked. What are you trying to say?

That “are expected” is a euphemism for “are shoehorning AI in and trying to shove it down users’ throats”. Whereas the truth is nobody (actual end users, that is) wants it.

I hate having to “dodge” all the AI-enabled controls my phone (iOS) is sprouting - I don’t need that shit, but there’s also no alternative.

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

#35

Post by bakugo »

raincole wrote: post #17
benterix wrote: post #7

> Browsers and operating systems are increasingly expected to gain access to language models.[0] Are they? [0] https://github.com/webmachinelearning/prompt-api/blob/main/R...

Browsers: Chrome (proposed this Prompt API) Operating Systems: Windows (built-in Copilot), MacOS, iOS (Apple Intelligence) So it's >90% desktop browser and OS, plus >30% mobile OS. Yes, I think it's very safe to say "browsers and operating systems are increasingly expected to gain access to language models."

What this proves is that browsers and operating systems are increasingly integrating language models, not that they are expected to do so.

The only people who expect them to do so are big tech executives. The average user does not expect nor want Copilot shoved into every possible corner of Windows, and Microsoft themselves have acknowledged this.

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

#36

Post by jaffathecake »

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.

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

#37

Post by orphea »

jauntywundrkind wrote: post #8
croes wrote: post #4

So the next anti trust case for the EU. Chrome is clearly dominating the browser market and now they try to abuse that (again)

It's exhausting having such reflexive thoughtless ragging anytime Chrome is mentioned. Oh no! Chrome is trying to enhance user agency again! Oh no! Chrome is trying to make the web better for end users! Mozilla's concerns aren't totally bogus, I'm not going to try to laugh them out of the room. But their pearl clutching & belly-aching about "oh no what if not all implementations of ai prompts work exactly the same" f…

Can you please explain how the hell AI slop is going to "enhance user agency" or "make the web better"?

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

#38

Post by bilekas »

darkwater wrote: post #20
youre-wrong3 wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Only have yourselves to blame. Chrome made the internet better but everyone put their fingers in their ears about it getting worse at the same time.

Which Internet did make better?

For anyone working in the web area during the old IE days will know, not having to have a dedicated css and js for each browser type was a gamechanger.

Chrome's introduction, albeit through smoother, lighter browser experience at the time, pushed other browsers to standardize to google.

In one way it's bad to have a homogenous approach to all things web based, but in another way it did make the internet a better experience overall.

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

#39

Post by deaux »

raincole wrote: post #17
benterix wrote: post #7

> Browsers and operating systems are increasingly expected to gain access to language models.[0] Are they? [0] https://github.com/webmachinelearning/prompt-api/blob/main/R...

Browsers: Chrome (proposed this Prompt API) Operating Systems: Windows (built-in Copilot), MacOS, iOS (Apple Intelligence) So it's >90% desktop browser and OS, plus >30% mobile OS. Yes, I think it's very safe to say "browsers and operating systems are increasingly expected to gain access to language models."

You omitted the clause "by shareholders" after "expected".

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

#40

Post by austin-cheney »

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.

Post reply on HN