Firefox is becoming an AI browser and the internet is not at all happy about it
There's no such thing as bad publicity, they say. Mozilla must be clinging to that aphorism for dear life right now, what with the internet meltdown that met its announcement that Firefox is to become an AI browser over the next three years.
Mozilla's new CEO, Anthony Enzor-DeMeo, is putting AI up front and centre. "Firefox will remain our anchor. It will evolve into a modern AI browser and support a portfolio of new and trusted software additions," he says.
In mitigation, Enzor-DeMeo also says that the AI element in Firefox will be optional. "First: Every product we build must give people agency in how it works. Privacy, data use, and AI must be clear and understandable. Controls must be simple. AI should always be a choice — something people can easily turn off," Enzor-DeMeo explains.
While Mozilla says that the transition to AI will be a three-year process, it's also clear that they don't plan to hang about. "We will move with urgency. AI is changing software. Browsers are becoming the control point for digital life. Regulation is shifting defaults. These shifts play to Mozilla’s strengths," Enzor-DeMeo goes on.
Speaking of going on about something, that's exactly what's happening across social media in response to this announcement. And not in a good way.
This Reddit thread has 2,300 comments and counting, few of them complimentary. "Firefox was in prime position to become the anti-AI browser which is something there's real demand for. But no, let's chase trends instead," is one post that pretty much sums up the sentiment.
Over on X, it's a similar story, with one user commenting (via Windows Central), "I've never seen a company so astoundingly out of touch with the people who want to use its software."
Mozilla's new CEO obviously doesn't agree. "Firefox will reach new audiences," he says, "our portfolio will strengthen our independence. Our approach to building trusted software will set a high standard for the industry."
Personally, I can see both sides of this. Admittedly, my heart sinks at the mere mention of AI, of late. But can the likes of Mozilla totally sit the AI revolution out? That seems unlikely.
Perhaps the role organisations like Mozilla can play is to implement AI in more considered, controlled way, instead of spewing it everywhere in a crazed hope to cash in. For now, then, the jury should surely be out on this move. Let's wait and see exactly how Mozilla plays AI, no?