Mozilla’s CEO knows you might not want AI in Firefox

When Mozilla announced that its Firefox browser would have… Built-in artificial intelligence kill switchIt has separated itself from the crowd of tech giants by adding a wealth of AI features to every online experience.

Mozilla CEO Anthony Enzor-Dimeo says it became clear to him when… He took on the role in December The Firefox community has been clamoring for the ability to turn off the browser’s AI features entirely.

“Our community was very vocal, especially during the CEO announcement, that not everyone wanted (AI),” he told me in an interview. “At the core, we want to listen to our users, and they’ve been honest. … It was honestly on the roadmap, but I accelerated it, given community feedback.”

But the AI ​​kill switch, available now mobile As well as the desktop, it was flipped by only 1% of Firefox users to completely turn off the AI. It is only partially used by 3% to turn off some AI features in the browser.

Enzor-DeMeo points out that tools, including AI translations, have value that people want to keep. The important difference with Firefox is that there’s a choice, he says, pointing out Microsoft is falling behind on Copilot When searching on the Windows desktop and Google is installing big AI models on people’s computers Without notifying them.

“I think there’s a general feeling with the user that says, ‘Hey, I didn’t ask for this, I didn’t choose that.’ The great thing about Firefox is…we offer choice,” he says.

Enzor-DeMeo also talked to me about Firefox’s new Smart Window, its built-in VPN, privacy concerns in the age of AI, and a new browser redesign launching in the fall aimed at keeping the internet open and fair.

Firefox Smart Window: BYO AI

Smart window, which is Available in trial version Now, it allows you to choose which AI model you want to use on Firefox, as well as enabling you to bring your own AI models for use in the browser.

“If you want to use ChatGPT, that’s great. If you want to use Gemini, that’s great. … Our sidebar allows you to use all of them,” Enzor-DeMeo said. “They all excel at different things, so why do I need to be forced to do one of them?”

The team at Firefox hopes that other browsers will take this more AI-agnostic approach, and use privately hosted open source AI models as well.

Mozilla also touts the privacy of your conversations in Smart Window. It says it doesn’t use any of your information to train models and automatically filters out sensitive and private data. You can then choose what data the AI ​​model remembers about you and delete anything you don’t want it to know or turn off its memory entirely.

Enzor Dimeo pointed out that not only are there skeptics of artificial intelligence, but the majority of the world does not have access to it. According to some statistics, around 83% of the world’s population Artificial intelligence was not used, and in the United States, only around it 3% pay for it. He described AI as “largely unprofitable” and predicted that we’ll start seeing more ads in AI services soon.

“Sometimes, especially in the tech bubble, I think we get a little bit of tunnel vision or an AI echo chamber, but I think when you look at it from a global scale, there’s not a lot of reach,” Lee said. “If we really go down the path where AI becomes more concentrated in the browser, and that’s how people access the Internet, you run the risk of the Internet becoming more closed.”

AI tools need a lot of information about you to provide an optimal experience – “that’s just the harsh reality.” But he said Firefox is focused on active consent.

“I think there is an inflection point in the market with the lack of confidence in big tech companies,” Enzor DeMeo said. “There is an inflection point in what AI is doing to society, and I think people are craving control, autonomy, choice, and, fundamentally, privacy.”

Firefox’s built-in VPN: 1.5 million sign-ups

To help maintain this privacy, Firefox offered a free VPN within the browser last month. Enzor DiMeo said one of his top priorities when he took over as CEO in December was creating an integrated system VPN Product, because it’s much easier for people to click a button in the browser than it is to click on it Open another application And logging in — “a sub-par experience,” he noted.

while Many VPNs offer browser extensions To simplify the process, keep in mind that VPNs are generally browser-based It only encrypts your activity within this browserand not in other applications across your device. You need VPN apps to provide more robust privacy protection.

Firefox’s VPN now has 1.5 million subscriptions, with Mozilla currently offering an unlimited VPN package from June 9 through August 31 that lets you Select your geographical location. With about 800,000 active users already, Enzor-DeMeo said it’s a nod of approval that Firefox did the right thing, especially in the age of rampant artificial intelligence, when privacy has been enabled with… VPN Incredibly important.

“What we’re seeing is an increase in surveillance,” Lee said. “There are a lot of different challenges, depending on where you are geographically, and what’s going on with AI.” “We’ve always been a big believer in VPNs. I think people have a right to privacy. I think people need to seek out information about medical issues or things like that, and remain very private. So for me, it was ethics-driven.”

New Firefox: ‘Keeping the Internet on a Level Playing Field’

Nova Projectwhich will be called Firefox when it launches later this year, is all about making Mozilla’s browser faster (page load times are up to 9% faster than they were previously, Mozilla says), more secure and customizable. Firefox has about 200 million monthly users. (It is estimated that Firefox has just died 2% of browser market sharecompared to 70% for Google Chrome and 16% for Apple Safari.)

It’s scheduled to launch in the fall, around September or October, though new features are being rolled out slowly At night. Mozilla seeks input from the developer community and other users through its own forums and websites AMA posts on Reddit.

One of the new AI features is Tab groupswhere artificial intelligence automatically groups similar tabs you have open to make them easier to find. Enzor-DeMeo said his AI approach is to find efficiency features that people will actually benefit from.

Along with AI, the new Firefox will get visual upgrades including compact mode; a circular shape for panels, menus, settings, and browser controls; Glow around your active tab; and Accessibility features Built in.

“What we’re trying to do is keep the web open, secure, and fair competition,” Enzor Dimeo said. “Our goal is not to be the biggest browser, but to maintain a level playing field on the Internet.”