Firefox 148 adds AI killswitch after user backlash

Mozilla is rolling out a broad artificial intelligence controls system in Firefox after community backlash against plans to turn the browser into “a modern artificial intelligence browser.” Following criticism of the artificial intelligence first vision introduced by new chief executive officer Anthony Enzor-DeMeo, Mozilla leadership apologized to users and committed to providing a clear way to limit or disable generative artificial intelligence capabilities. The response centers on a dedicated artificial intelligence killswitch that will ship with Firefox version 148.

In Firefox version 148, scheduled for a release on February 24, there will be an option to turn off artificial intelligence features in the browser individually, or all at once. The new controls will cover artificial intelligence assisted translations, automatic alt text generation in PDFs, artificial intelligence enhanced tab grouping, link previews, and an artificial intelligence chatbot in the sidebar. Users will be able to choose which of these tools to enable or disable, and those who do not want any artificial intelligence functions can turn them off completely through a single switch.

The artificial intelligence killswitch setting will persist even after future updates, ensuring that users who opt out will not encounter generative artificial intelligence features. Mozilla is fulfilling its earlier promise to implement this control in response to growing demand from users who are frustrated with an artificial intelligence everywhere approach across technology products. The company is positioning Firefox as a browser that can offer artificial intelligence assistance for those who want it while respecting those who do not. For Firefox Nightly users, the feature is available right away. However, for Firefox stable, users must wait a few days until February 24 to install Firefox 148.