Mozilla is working on an AI kill switch for the Firefox open-source web browser to let users completely disable all AI features.

After the controversial news shared earlier this week by Mozilla’s new CEO that Firefox will evolve into “a modern AI browser,” the company now revealed it is working on an AI kill switch for the open-source web browser.

On Tuesday, Anthony Enzor-DeMeo was named the new CEO of Mozilla Corporation, the company behind the beloved Firefox web browser used by almost all GNU/Linux distributions as the default browser.

In his message as new CEO, Anthony Enzor-DeMeo stated that Firefox will grow from a browser into a broader ecosystem of trusted software while remaining the company’s anchor, and that Firefox will evolve into a modern AI browser and support a portfolio of new and trusted software additions.

What was not made clear is that Firefox will also ship with an AI kill switch that will let users completely disable all the AI features that are included in Firefox. Mozilla shared this important update earlier today to make it clear to everyone that Firefox will still be a trusted web browser.

  • kadu@scribe.disroot.orgEnglish
    1711·
    14 hours ago

    But Lemmy told me Firefox was over and AI would be forced upon every single text field, and that we should migrate to Chrome forks maintained by 15 year old children!

    • ekZepp@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      9·
      13 hours ago

      That part of Lemmy didn’t hear of Librewolf, Floorp or Waterfox apparently. Btw, i was rightfully shitting on Firefox for this (i still do). The new ceo “ideas” wasn’t very agreeable, and i’ll totally drop the old Fox the exact second they touch the Adblocks.

      • mirshafie@europe.pubEnglish
        11·
        9 hours ago

        If Firefox “touched the Adblocks” in the same manner that Chrome did, the forks wouldn’t be able to mitigate it. That’s the whole point.

        They won’t, because that’s not why they make Firefox. But just to make it clear: the forks you mentioned are very lightly modified alternative builds of Firefox. If that makes you happy, more power to you, but don’t pretend like there’s an equivalence between Mozilla and Google.

      • kadu@scribe.disroot.orgEnglish
        43·
        13 hours ago

        didn’t hear of Librewolf, Floorp or Waterfox apparently

        So projects that depend entirely on Firefox, and therefore the idea of boycotting Firefox and making it economically not viable means also killing these forks… Hmm… I feel like there might be a logical flaw somewhere here…

        • ekZepp@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
          21·
          13 hours ago

          That’ what i mean. Using a clean derivative is better that going back to chromium.

          • Skankhunt420@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
            2·
            11 hours ago

            He’s saying if enough people stop using firefox the base for all of those other ones (Firefox) won’t be able to be maintained and therefore will kill all the forks that you mentioned.