Mozilla is rolling out new AI capabilities in Firefox version 148, set for desktop release on February 24, while providing users with easy controls to disable them. The update includes features like an AI chatbot sidebar and powered summaries, reflecting the company's emphasis on user choice and privacy. This move aligns Firefox with other major browsers incorporating AI tools.
Firefox, the browser from the nonprofit Mozilla Foundation with about 200 million monthly active users, will launch version 148 on desktops on February 24. This update introduces several AI enhancements, such as a sidebar chatbot allowing selection of models like ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, or Google Gemini, along with AI-assisted language translation, PDF alt text generation, tab grouping suggestions, and link preview summaries.
In a recent blog post, Firefox head Ajit Varma explained the rationale: "AI is changing the web, and people want very different things from it. Listening to our community, alongside our ongoing commitment to offer choice, led us to build AI controls." A new settings menu will feature toggles for each AI function, enabling users to activate or deactivate them individually or entirely.
A Mozilla spokesperson emphasized the optional nature of these features: "The goal is always for a better browsing experience, one that keeps people in control of how they experience the web and now AI, as it becomes more common across the web." The rollout starts on desktop only, with plans to monitor feedback before expanding to other platforms.
This approach addresses privacy concerns, as noted by Erik Avakian, a technical counselor at Info-Tech Research Group: "It validates that AI browser features, even assistive ones, can introduce real privacy, security and compliance considerations. The difference is that Mozilla is choosing to introduce and implement these types of controls early, while others are forcing the conversation by moving fast with AI and breaking trust."
Mozilla's AI product leader Jolie Huang, in a July post, highlighted the privacy focus: "Our ongoing commitment to privacy-preserving AI drives us to continuously develop and enhance features that respect and protect your personal information. At Firefox, AI is about creating a smarter, more intuitive browsing experience that boosts productivity without sacrificing privacy."
Users can preview these features in the experimental Firefox Nightly build. The integration follows similar AI additions in browsers like Apple's Safari and Microsoft's Edge.
