Firefox adds a switch to turn off AI features

Unlike many companies that stuff AI into their browsers, Mozilla will soon give you a way to turn off all of these features. that The update is coming on February 24 It will add a new “Control AI” option to Firefox’s settings menu, allowing you to disable or enable the browser’s individual AI features, including access to a built-in AI chatbot, translations, AI tab group suggestions, and more.

In December, Enzor-DeMeo promised a “kill switch” for AI in response to users unhappy with Firefox’s embrace of AI. “Choice matters and demonstrating our commitment to choice is how we build and maintain trust,” Enzor Dimeo He wrote at that time. Now that the switch is on the way, it includes an option to disable all current and upcoming AI features. You can also manage whether Firefox uses AI to create alt text for images in PDF files or to create key points in link previews.

“AI is changing the web, and people want very different things from it,” Ajit Varma, vice president of products at Firefox, wrote in the announcement. “We heard from many who didn’t want to engage with AI. We also heard from others who wanted AI tools that were truly useful. Listening to our community, combined with our continued commitment to providing choice, led us to build AI Controls.”