Firefox Community Forum

I had switched to Firefox some time ago because of the privacy-invading AI that Google and Microsoft were implementing at the time, and it appeared Mozilla had their consumers' interests in mind when it came to privacy and performance. I suppose even they are willing to shoot themselves in the foot with the market failure that is generative AI, despite the recent reports about Copilot's abysmal sales proving that this maneuver is incredibly short-sighted.

Not only are these AI "features" enabled by default upon updating, the options to disable each of them are all hidden away in the about:config page. On top of that, having these options enabled leads to worse performance overall, and the breach of privacy inherent to these features is quite worrisome as well.

The best step now is to remove these features completely. If Mozilla won't remove them, they should at least have them disabled by default, making them opt-in as opposed to the opt-out situation currently in place. Perhaps they could be listed as proper options somewhere in about:preferences so that people don't have to comb through the about:config list?

I know I would appreciate not having to switch browsers again, and I'm sure plenty of users would like to have their privacy respected as well. We don't want to see this browser become as terrible to use as other big-name brands. If Mozilla keep pushing these invasive features, we will find something else to use.

I realise any privacy or user control statements made by Mozilla are really a farce. One, there's no meaningful way to protect user privacy these days, not on the web. Trying would be a more accurate term. Two, the CEO is in control of the product design and he's banking on customer loyalty, betting on an outcome where people will just continue to use the product regardless of how bad the new AI features are or how much they contradict the company's supposed ethos. And it'll probably work for a spell, but here's the thing: free clones of Firefox already exist, and customer loyalty only goes so far. It won't be terribly convenient, but if I continue to see Mozilla adopt AI in its updates, I'll just switch over to something else.

I know some underpayed tech or a volunteer who's not getting paid at all is going to read this and not the CEO but my hope is I'm not only one complaining and that if enough people complain your new CEO will realize that the reason most people who use Firefox do is because it's the browser that respects their privacy and security the most. Adding "AI" slop into it will only contribute to bloat and privacy loss, and a lot of people will likely move on to another browser thats faster, more reliable, and less insecure. Don't try to compete with Chrome by becoming Chrome please.

Firefox is the ine major browser on the market that DOESN'T have much of this stuff and actually kinda cares about privacy. Why take that away? You're only driving away your main userbase. If you continue shoving AI down our throats like everyone else I'm gonna have to find an alternative.

The talk of Firefox considering the addition of more AI features does not inspire any confidence in the security of the browser I've grown to rely on.

I've only started using Firefox as my main browser recently, because I wanted to avoid the AI bloat that other browsers have. If Firefox's current team goes along with forcing more generative AI features, I will certainly move to a new browser.

Why push AI if it threatens people's privacy and enjoyment of the browser, especially since people like me have moved to using Firefox because Google's AI features have threatened our privacy and enjoyment of said browsers? Not having to deal companies reliance on generative AI features is what brought me and many other new users to Firefox. The idea that this could be taken away is not only going to result in much of the current userbase leaving, but also turn away future uses who may get fed up with how gen AI is being used in their current browsers.

i specifically switched from google/chrome to firefox and yahoo to avoid the stupid AI features and to protect my privacy, and now even firefox is shoving it down our throats? genAI literally makes everything worse and now ill have to switch browsers again which is just even more inconvenience. idk if this new ceo bought the company thinking it was his ticket i to the genAI race or what but that was a stupid choice for everyone involved. AI is making everything it touches worse. im sick of it being added to everything against my will and im sick of it being impossible to turn off or avoid. ill be changing browsers again, maybe to ecosia (which is dedicated to reforestation) but definitely to something without malicious and inane features built in.

I know I can't speak for all Firefox users, but one of the main draws to using this browser for myself and many others has been that it took a firm stance AGAINST data theft, user tracking, bloat, and other insidiously invasive practices present in other browsers that make them glorified spyware. Integrating genAI features throws all of that out the door, and deeply threatens the product's identity in its consumer base. These are features we do not want or need and will likely drive many proud Firefox users to seek alternatives. Please reconsider

Hi i saw something saying the browser wanted to use more ai etc, is this true? Is there a way to opt out of these services in total if so?

I use firefox for the privacy and to avoid bloatware so itld be really disappointing if its now looking to use ai more in its services.