Firefox adds an AI killswitch

Not a fan of AI? Tired of every app and device adding some sort of AI functionality?

Then Firefox has some good news for you. The popular web browser, which is run by the non-profit-owned tech company Mozilla, has just rolled out a new update that comes with an AI killswitch.

That's right. With the toggle of a simple setting in the Firefox web browser, users can remove any and all AI integrations or features built into the app.

To turn off AI features in Firefox, simply download the latest update, Firefox 148, which was just released today. Once Firefox is updated, go to Settings and then AI Controls. On the AI Controls menu, click the toggle on "Block AI Enhancements." This turns off all AI features in Firefox, including ChatGPT and other chatbots that are normally in the sidebar, AI-powered link reviews, and smart tab group suggestions, just to name a few. 

Previously, Mozilla kept Firefox away from AI features for the most part, until this last December, when the organization's new CEO, Anthony Enzor-DeMeo, announced the inevitable: AI was coming to Firefox.

The blowback from Firefox's user base was intense enough that Mozilla later announced its intention to create an "AI off-switch" that would give users full control over whether to use AI features in the web browser or have them removed completely.

And after today's update, it appears Mozilla has followed through on its promise to offer an AI-free version of its web browser.

Ajit Varma, Head of Firefox, spoke to Mashable about the news when the product was first announced, framing it as an issue of user choice.

"At a time when much of the industry is moving toward closed, AI-driven ecosystems, we’re taking a different path, one that puts people, not platforms, in charge," Varma said in an email statement. "We’ve heard clearly from our users: some who don’t want AI, while others want the ability to decide exactly how and when it shows up in their browser. AI controls are how we deliver on that commitment."