Firefox will soon let you block all of its generative AI features

Firefox will start catering to those who don’t want AI in their browser. Mozilla announced on Monday that Firefox will soon allow users to block all current and future artificial intelligence features. Users will also have the option to block some AI features in Firefox, while keeping others.

Starting with Firefox 148, which will be released on February 24, users will find a new AI Controls section within the desktop browser’s settings.

People who don’t want to access any Firefox AI features can turn on the Block AI Enhancements toggle. When this setting is turned on, they will not be able to see pop-ups or reminders to use current or upcoming AI features.

New AI controls will also allow users to manage AI features individually. These features include Translations, which allows you to browse the web in your preferred language, alternative text in PDFs, AI-enhanced tab grouping, link previews, and Firefox’s AI chatbot in the sidebar, which lets you use your chosen chatbot while browsing, including services like Anthropic Claude, ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini, and Le Chat Mistral.

“AI is changing the web, and people want very different things from it,” the company wrote in a blog post. “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.”

The announcement comes as Mozilla appointed Anthony Enzor-Dimeo as its CEO in December. Enzor-DeMeo said at the time that Mozilla would invest in AI and add AI features to Firefox, but the company would make those features optional.

“AI should always be an option — something people can easily turn off. People should know why a feature works the way it does and what value they get from it,” he wrote in a blog post.

Enzor-DeMeo’s comments come as Mozilla strives to adapt to the rapidly changing browser market. Although browsers like Firefox and Google Chrome have dominated the browser space for more than a decade, they are facing renewed competition from companies like Perplexity, Arc, OpenAI, and Opera.

While Mozilla plans to invest in new AI features, it is also focusing on transparency. CNBC reported last week that Mozilla CEO Mark Surman said he was building a “rebel coalition of sorts” made up of tech startups, developers and public interest technologists committed to making AI more trustworthy and validating the power of players like OpenAI and Anthropic.

Mozilla will deploy reserves worth about $1.4 billion to support technology companies and nonprofits, CNBC reports. The company is seeking investments that enhance AI transparency and push back against companies that are growing at historic speeds with limited oversight.