techcrunch.com
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Firefox will begin catering to those who don’t want AI in their browser. On Monday, Mozilla announced that Firefox will soon let users block all current and future generative AI features. Users will also have the option to block certain AI features in Firefox, while keeping others.
Starting with Firefox 148, which is rolling out on February 24, users will find a new AI controls section within the desktop browser settings.
People who don’t want access to any AI features from Firefox can turn on the “Block AI enhancements” toggle. When this setting is turned on, they won’t see pop-ups or reminders to use existing or upcoming AI features.
The new AI controls will also let users manage AI features individually. These features include “Translations,” which allows you to browse the web in your preferred language, Alt text in PDFs, AI-enhanced tab grouping, link previews, and Firefox’s AI chatbot in the sidebar, which lets you use your chosen chatbot as you browse, including services like Anthropic Claude, ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini, and Le Chat Mistral.
“AI is changing the web, and people want very different things from it,” the company wrote in a blog post. “We’ve heard from many who want nothing to do with AI. We’ve also heard from others who want AI tools that are genuinely useful. Listening to our community, alongside our ongoing commitment to offer choice, led us to build AI controls.”
The announcement comes as Mozilla appointed Anthony Enzor-DeMeo as its CEO back in December. Enzor-DeMeo said at the time that Mozilla would be investing in AI and would add AI features to Firefox, but that the company would make these features optional.
“AI should always be a choice — something people can easily turn off. People should know why a feature works the way it does and what value they get from it,” he wrote in a blog post.
Enzor-DeMeo’s comments come as Mozilla scrambles to adapt in a rapidly changing browser market. Although browsers like Firefox and Google Chrome dominated the browser space for more than a decade, they are facing renewed competition from companies such as Perplexity, Arc, OpenAI, and Opera.
While Mozilla plans to invest in new AI features, it’s also focused on transparency. CNBC reported last week that Mozilla President Mark Surman said he’s building “a rebel alliance of sorts” made up of tech startups, developers, and public-interest technologists committed to making AI more trustworthy and to checking the power of players like OpenAI and Anthropic.
Mozilla will deploy around $1.4 billion worth of reserves to support tech businesses and nonprofits, including its own, CNBC reports. The company is pursuing investments that promote AI transparency and push back against companies growing at historic speeds with limited oversight.
