61 pointsby stalfosknight2 hours ago13 comments
  • mathnodean hour ago
    Of all the unnecessary AI integrations; firefox is the one I am least concerned or annoyed about. I will however be disabling anything AI related they introduce.
  • crabmusket32 minutes ago
    Why are there controls to turn off AI features, but no controls to turn on AI features?
    • denkmoon3 minutes ago
      Those are helpfully enabled by default, you can put your feet up, Moz has you covered.
    • giantfrog8 minutes ago
      Because Firefox users have been clamoring for the ability to turn them off rather than the opposite.
      • LoganDark3 minutes ago
        I think they're asking why it has to be opt-out rather than opt-in.
  • blue_sauce_bean2 hours ago
    I'm worried that this will require yet another config change on top of the already-ridiculous pile. (A listing was discussed 3 months ago at https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45696752 )
    • comexan hour ago
      If you click through you can see that the new feature includes a single toggle to turn off all current and future AI.
      • JoshTriplett30 minutes ago
        That's the third-best design they could have. Second-best would be having a toggle to turn on AI. Best would be going back to building a browser and leaving out the AI entirely, or putting it in some other product that they only consider funding after they get back to 50% market share for the browser.
  • Sabinus29 minutes ago
    Well, I'm looking forward to the new AI features and I use the AI sidebar regularly. Thanks Mozilla
  • cranberryturkey23 minutes ago
    The real question is whether this sets a precedent for how browsers should handle feature creep in general. Browsers have quietly accumulated telemetry, sponsored content, pocket integrations, VPN upsells — AI is just the latest.

    What I like about Mozilla's approach here is the single toggle for all current and future AI. That's a genuine concession to user agency rather than the usual whack-a-mole of about:config flags. If every new feature category got this treatment (a clear, discoverable off switch), browsers would be in a much better place trust-wise.

    The deeper issue is that Mozilla needs revenue diversification beyond the Google search deal, and AI features are their bet on that. So the incentive to make the toggle hard to find or slowly degrade the non-AI experience will always be there. I'd love to see them prove that wrong.

    • yicmoggIrl20 minutes ago
      > the single toggle for all current and future AI. That's a genuine concession to user agency rather than the usual whack-a-mole of about:config flags

      My thought exactly! I'm grateful that Mozilla isn't hiding the features behind dark config UI patterns.

      • thisislife25 minutes ago
        They can't afford to, or they would have. With ads in the browser, telemetry that doesn't really switch off, etc. etc. their brand value has really fallen.
  • bravetraveler24 minutes ago
    Soon: "Oopsie woopsie, we changed your expressed preferences... care to try again?"
  • vpShanean hour ago
    That control would be LibreWolf, turns off the rest of the bad things too
  • clumsysmurf28 minutes ago
    I would like to see them provide -AI-free builds ... just to be sure.
  • semiinfinitely24 minutes ago
    too late I already stopped using it
  • xeonmc2 hours ago
    justthebrowser.com
  • hacker_homie43 minutes ago
    too late.
  • knowitnone3an hour ago
    [dead]