Mozilla is working on an AI kill switch for the Firefox open-source web browser to let users completely disable all AI features.

After the controversial news shared earlier this week by Mozilla’s new CEO that Firefox will evolve into “a modern AI browser,” the company now revealed it is working on an AI kill switch for the open-source web browser.

On Tuesday, Anthony Enzor-DeMeo was named the new CEO of Mozilla Corporation, the company behind the beloved Firefox web browser used by almost all GNU/Linux distributions as the default browser.

In his message as new CEO, Anthony Enzor-DeMeo stated that Firefox will grow from a browser into a broader ecosystem of trusted software while remaining the company’s anchor, and that Firefox will evolve into a modern AI browser and support a portfolio of new and trusted software additions.

What was not made clear is that Firefox will also ship with an AI kill switch that will let users completely disable all the AI features that are included in Firefox. Mozilla shared this important update earlier today to make it clear to everyone that Firefox will still be a trusted web browser.

  • DacoTaco@lemmy.worldEnglish
    42·
    8 hours ago

    As much as i hate ai, and dont want it in any of my tools and programs, as a business it is a different thing.
    I believe it is a bubble and it needs to burst so bad atm, but as a business you do not want to be left behind on the hype train. Its a risk you are taking if you dont, and that if the bubble doesnt burst ( which it might not ) your company is left in the dust and dies.

    The more reasons i want it to pop, because businesses are not taking the risk (obviously) and its killing their program for me

    • jjjalljs@ttrpg.networkEnglish
      3·
      5 hours ago

      I don’t think there’s any evidence that AI needs to be baked into the browser. They have a robust extension ecosystem for this sort of thing.

      • Zetta@mander.xyzEnglish
        1·
        3 hours ago

        It’s the hype thing to do right now for web browsers, and Firefox is already way behind. I know it may be hard to believe if you only browse Lemmy (like myself), but the average person actually likes these so-called “AI” tools or at least a significant amount of them do.

        So Firefox needs to try and attract more normies from chrome, a lot of these “normal” people would be more likely to switch for that 'one killer ai feature".

        Also imo we should all be ready to switch to Ladybird when the first version comes out, I know I’ll be running the Alpha. If you don’t know Ladybird is a brand new browser written from the ground up, it’s also open source. https://ladybird.org/

        • jjjalljs@ttrpg.networkEnglish
          1·
          3 hours ago

          I know it may be hard to believe if you only browse Lemmy (like myself), but the average person actually likes these so-called “AI” tools or at least a significant amount of them do.

          This is probably true but makes me sad. I tell all my friends not to use the lie machines but a bunch of people at work use them all the time.

          • Zetta@mander.xyzEnglish
            1·
            3 hours ago

            It is what it is. I do personally use LLMs because I recognize it is a tool that is actually good at some things, for instance, cursory research on something I’m working on that can get me a general idea of the knowledge I should be looking into to get the task done. Key aspect being I need to do all the follow up research from real sources to gather more data, and of course verify the assumptions from the LLM.

            The problem is people taking the word of the actually incredibly cool (on a math level) next best token generator as the truth of God. Its dumb people doing dumb things, problem is dumb people imo.

            Edit: I guess that’s sort of harsh. There should also just be some better education from the people making these tools on the problems and correct ways to use them.