Hajra Naz
On Monday, Mozilla announced that Firefox will soon allow users to block all current and future generative AI features. Users can also selectively block specific AI features while keeping others enabled.
The change arrives with Firefox 148, set to roll out on February 24, which will include a new AI controls section in the desktop browser settings.
For users who want a completely AI-free experience, the “Block AI enhancements” toggle will disable all AI pop-ups and reminders, covering both existing and upcoming features.
The AI controls also allow users to manage features individually. These include Translations, which lets users browse websites in their preferred language; Alt text in PDFs; AI-enhanced tab grouping; link previews; and Firefox’s AI sidebar chatbot, which supports third-party services such as Anthropic Claude, ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini, and Le Chat Mistral.
“AI is changing the web, and people want very different things from it,” Mozilla said in a blog post. “We’ve heard from many who want nothing to do with AI. We’ve also heard from others who want AI tools that are genuinely useful. Listening to our community, alongside our ongoing commitment to offer choice, led us to build AI controls.”
The announcement follows the appointment of Anthony Enzor-DeMeo as Mozilla’s CEO in December. Enzor-DeMeo emphasized that Mozilla would invest in AI and introduce AI features to Firefox, but these features would always be optional.
“AI should always be a choice — 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.
Mozilla’s push comes as the browser market evolves rapidly. While Firefox and Google Chrome have long dominated, new competitors such as Perplexity, Arc, OpenAI, and Opera are reshaping the landscape.
Mozilla plans to continue investing in AI while prioritizing transparency. CNBC reported last week that Mozilla President Mark Surman is building what he called “a rebel alliance of sorts” — a coalition of tech startups, developers, and public-interest technologists dedicated to making AI more trustworthy and holding dominant players like OpenAI and Anthropic accountable.
To support these efforts, Mozilla will deploy approximately $1.4 billion in reserves to fund technology businesses and nonprofits, including its own, with a focus on AI transparency and responsible development.
