06-21-2024 11:55 AM - last edited on 10-18-2024 02:19 PM by Jon
Hi folks,
In the next few days, we will start the Nightly experiment which provides easy access to AI services from the sidebar. This functionality is entirely optional, and it’s there to see if it’s a helpful addition to Firefox. It is not built into any core functionality and needs to be turned on by you to see it.
If you want to try the experiment, activate it via Nightly Settings > Firefox Labs (please see full instructions here).
We’d love to hear your feedback once you try out the feature, and we’re open to all your ideas and thoughts, whether it’s small tweaks to the current experience or big, creative suggestions that could boost your productivity and make accessing your favorite tools and services in Firefox even easier.
Thanks so much for helping us improve Firefox!
09-10-2024 08:41 AM
Oh my god please do not. Don't. Don't. No one needs this. You're the last bastion of browsers that don't totally suck don't do this
09-10-2024 08:39 AM
Please do not. One of the reasons I changed to Firefox was to get rid of the AI fluff.
It's like if in the 1990's every business you walked into had added TY Beanie Baby wallpaper and had employees wearing silly themed hats.
Internet Browsers don't need cute gimmicks. People use browsers for actual reasons. Browsers and search engines should both be reliable and simple to use. Even if you're only talking about advertising AI, it doesn't sound like a good idea to me.
(I'm not going to try it. I'm disgusted with the whole AI gimmick and hope the trend ends soon.)
09-10-2024 08:42 AM
One of the biggest issues I see is coming from business users of Firefox. Some companies will not allow programs that could potentially have access to Generative AI, even if it's just forcibly disabled, it can't be in the code. This would make it difficult, if not impossible to get Firefox approved for use on those work computers.
This just seems like a really poorly thought out feature, it could've just been an extension.
09-10-2024 08:41 AM
As a firefox user I expect that Mozilla acts with caution and consideration when updating and adding features to their browser. Even thinking about adding AI services is neither of those things, this idea should be abandoned, Firefox thrives on being an old style browser and not being like Chromium browsers adding AI services loses a part of this key aspect of this browser. Generative AI is a mediocre and milquetoast invention that is neither useful or capable of advancing our use of technology. Please reconsider this choice, not only is AI a trend, it's a highly damaging one, with the electrical and computing power required to operate these causing damage to the enviroment.
Thank you for considering my response I hope you make the right choice.
09-10-2024 08:45 AM
Very no.
I’ve been a firefox user for just about as Long as there’s been a firefox. It is what I recommend to folks on most platforms. If this gets included in the base distribution, i will absolutely have to reconsider that. I don’t want this code *in* my browser, no off-by-default nonsense.
to be clear, this is not a “just ignore it if you don’t like it“ situation. Shipping this in the browser absolutely makes me question the judgment of the core Firefox team. It is a trust issue.
09-10-2024 08:47 AM
Absolutely not.
09-10-2024 08:48 AM
Absolutely not.
09-10-2024 08:47 AM
Not sure this is a great idea
09-10-2024 08:49 AM
Hey do you guys know any good browsers that aren't chromium based or pushing AI?
09-10-2024 08:49 AM
Please do NOT add AI to Firefox.
09-10-2024 08:50 AM
No thanks on the AI. I prefer Firefox over most other browsers BECAUSE it didn't use the enviroment AND privacy damaging tech but if the people behind Firefox seriously implement this feature, I'm out of here. Dump the whole thing please.
09-10-2024 08:49 AM
Please cease this immediately. I've been using Firefox since release, I don't want to have to find a new browser.
09-10-2024 08:55 AM
I don't understand the hate for this since it's an entirely optional feature and not turned on by default. This sounds like the exact way to implement AI.
09-10-2024 12:20 PM
What use case justifies the environmental impact? When large language models are inherently based off stolen data, that lies in its outputs unpredictably, when it is so much a turn off for artists and writers and people who actually know about the field?
09-10-2024 08:56 AM
One of the major reasons I use Firefox is the lack of AI. I am firmly anti AI. AI also has a huge negative environmental impact with no clear benefit to me. Please do not implement it. Thank you
09-10-2024 08:56 AM
No.
09-10-2024 08:58 AM
no.
09-10-2024 08:57 AM
Absolutely not. AI is such an invasive, overreacting technology being forced into every aspect of our lives. AI models are built on mass theft and plagiarism. Functionally it's a security nightmare.
You say this toggle is optional but the fact you're even entertaining the idea is a bad sign for the future regarding Mozilla's leadership and general philosophy. It's only a matter of time before it's no longer an option.
Firefox is one of the few bastions of secure and accessible internet left. I have to assume Mozilla is aware of the problems with AI. I hope this post is not just a PR stunt to make it look like you care about your users while proceeding with this ill advised implementation. I would hate to go back to friends, family, and coworkers and tell them I no longer recommend Firefox as a browser, but I will do it if I must.
09-10-2024 08:58 AM
Do not implement it. Do NOT include it optionally either. It's an unnecessary function that serves the wants of the few at the expense of the many.
In addition, I am requesting that you and your organization take a firm anti-generative AI stance on the whole.
09-10-2024 08:59 AM
please don't do this. the lack of this kind of ai was one of the biggest reasons i came to firefox in the first place
09-10-2024 08:59 AM
Please no. Please stop wasting dev time and money on these "features", that could instead be spent on polishing Firefox.
09-10-2024 08:59 AM
I really, really don't want this to happen. I installed Firefox to get away from having language models and AI thrown in my face. I'm sure others can relate.
09-10-2024 09:00 AM
Please don't ruin the last reasonable browser with this bull**bleep**.
09-10-2024 09:03 AM
It's lovely to know that my comments are censored.
Is "BS" okay to use?
09-10-2024 09:00 AM
Stop cut it out
09-10-2024 09:03 AM
I swear to god, I'll stop using Firefox.
09-10-2024 09:04 AM
I don't want AI anywhere near my browser, please. I've been a loyal Mozilla user for over a decade, i subscribe to both Mozilla VPN and Mask Relay, and I really really don't want AI
09-10-2024 09:04 AM
Dear God please no
09-10-2024 09:12 AM
i dont think it's neccessary, seems incidental at best to all the reasons I, and everyone I know, use firefox, and I'm worried about potential performance impacts. I don't think it'd make the browser better or more useful to the people who actually use it, but it does have real potential of making it worse
09-10-2024 09:18 AM
Maybe you should focus on finally adding proper HDR support for Firefox before considering adding a (imho useless) AI button
09-10-2024 09:19 AM
no one wants ai. it's being shoved in our faces because tech giants banked on it being a smash hit, and then it wasn't, and now they want it to pay off, so they're forcing it on us. is it really worth alienating your userbase for a glorified chatbot?
09-10-2024 09:19 AM
NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO
09-10-2024 09:22 AM
Absolutely NOT. Please do not do this. I use Firefox as a way to get away from garbage like ai and data-theft.
09-10-2024 09:23 AM
Please, the addition of AI to Firefox is a negative in many instances, from productivity, safety and much more. This push for AI on everything is from investors that are bandwagoning on the newest tech sounding thing but don't actually know how it could actually improve the user experience or help any business, to the point that the AI bubble is now showing signs of bursting amidst many issues from lack of user adoption, legal issues, moral issues and negative views of users towards AI in general. Please do not make another useless AI integration that no users actually want and keep focused on improving the efficiency of Firefox and user privacy, that's what users really want
09-10-2024 09:26 AM
No no no no absolutely no! I do not want this crap in Firefox!
09-10-2024 09:28 AM
Really disappointing to see Firefox jumping on the AI bandwagon. Regardless of whether these companies are directly collecting information from users - and I don't trust their promises of privacy for a second - the reckless disregard for artists' and writers' intellectual property exercised when creating these models in the first place should give anyone pause. This kind of garbage is why I switched to Firefox in the first place. No one wants this.
09-10-2024 09:31 AM
no no no no NO.
09-10-2024 09:36 AM
Absolutely not.
Firefox is supposed to be better than this.
09-10-2024 09:44 AM
Please do not do this. I’d hate to have to stop using Firefox because you think using the hyped up mediocrity generating theft machine is a good idea. I won’t be updating Firefox for now, and hope you’ll reconsider
09-10-2024 09:45 AM
Please don't invest in AI or make it even a optional part of firefox. AI is produced unethically by data scraping and contributes to environmental damage and the depression of wages without providing any value in exchange. If firefox takes this route I will actively look for another option that doesn't make me want to barf.