Firefox just made an unexpected move that Chrome would never copy

Firefox has a reputation as the browser of choice for power users who prefer to customize everything – and it just gave users one very important new option. While most other tech companies shove AI “enhancements” down their users’ throats, Mozilla is introducing a way to disable Firefox’s AI features outright – a boon for anyone searching for a safe haven from the AI software onslaught.

Starting on February 24 with the Firefox 148 update, users will be able to toggle AI off in a new AI controls area in the desktop browser’s settings menu. To disable AI, you won’t even need to dig around and disable features one by one: Mozilla describes the forthcoming option as a “single place to block current and future generative AI features” across Firefox. 

If you’d like to customize Firefox’s AI offerings, the browser will also allow you to check and enable individual features. In a blog post announcing the option, Mozilla recognizes that not everyone wants to use AI, but it will continue to work on AI features for Firefox users who do want them. The options on the way later this month will allow Firefox users to toggle AI on or off for translation tools, alt text descriptions in PDFs, tab groups, link preview summaries, and for a sidebar feature that incorporates chatbots like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini. 

Mozilla has been tinkering with AI product experiments in Firefox for a bit now. The company began rolling out access to AI chatbots a year ago with Firefox 135 and last September invited iOS users to “shake to summarize” a website with AI. 

Mozilla walks a tightrope on AI

Mozilla announced its plan to splice AI features more deeply into Firefox late last year, a decision panned by some of its users. At the time, the company emphasized that any AI tools would be opt-in and designed to keep users in full control. “… We believe AI should be built like the internet —  open, accessible, and driven by choice — so that users and the developers helping to build it can use it as they wish, help shape it and truly benefit from it,” Mozilla wrote in the announcement.

The Firefox maker just appointed a new CEO as the company promotes its image as “the world’s most trusted software company.” Mozilla tapped Anthony Enzor-DeMeo,  previously the general manager of Firefox, to step into the role. Enzor-DeMeo described the browser as the “next battleground” for AI in a statement paired with the news. “It’s where people live their online lives and where the next era’s questions of trust, data use, and transparency will be decided.”

Firefox users are paying close attention. Mozilla’s connections to the open source community and its emphasis on user choice have built a deep well of brand loyalty over the years. Still, AI is a divisive technology, and one that Firefox users aren’t all sold on – a fact the browser maker is well aware of. 

“We believe choice is more important than ever as AI becomes a part of people’s browsing experiences,” Head of Firefox Ajit Varma wrote in Mozilla’s announcement on AI controls. “What matters to us is giving people control, no matter how they feel about AI.”

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