Firefox is becoming an AI‑powered browser, but Mozilla says every new feature will come with a full off switch for privacy‑minded users

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Mozilla Firefox is a well-established web browser that first came out in 2004, offering people a different choice to Internet Explorer. It’s become popular with over 200 million people using it each month, thanks to its speed, the ability to personalize it extensively, and its commitment to protecting user privacy.

Mozilla recently named a new CEO in December 2025 as the company faces financial challenges. This change in leadership is happening alongside a big move towards artificial intelligence, which may worry longtime Firefox users. It remains to be seen if Firefox can successfully evolve with AI while staying true to its core values, or if some users will need to consider other browsers.

Firefox as an AI browser

Artificial intelligence is everywhere these days, and Mozilla Firefox is jumping on the bandwagon. The new CEO, Anthony Enzor-DeMeo, wants to transform Firefox into an AI-powered browser, which has worried some users who are now considering other options that don’t rely on AI.

Good news for Firefox users: Mozilla says you’ll be able to turn off all AI features if you want. This means you’ll have to actively choose to use them, rather than having them automatically enabled.

This gives Firefox an advantage over browsers like Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome, as they don’t currently have a simple, one-click option to turn off AI features completely.

Currently, Mozilla seems dedicated to letting users decide for themselves, and as a company people generally trust, their new CEO has stated:

Looking ahead at Mozilla, my analysis shows we’re shifting our core strategy to become a truly trusted software company. This isn’t just marketing – it’s the fundamental principle driving both how we develop our products and how we expand as an organization. We’re building everything around earning and maintaining user trust.

Anthony Enzor-DeMeo – CEO of Mozilla

Mozilla is calling the ability to turn off AI features an “AI kill-switch” within the company. This will give Firefox users a simple way to disable all AI-powered features. According to the Firefox Web Developer account on Mastodon, this feature…

Firefox will offer a way to turn off all of its AI features completely. We’ve been jokingly referring to this as an “AI kill switch” during development, but it will likely have a more user-friendly name when released. This highlights how committed we are to giving users full control over these features.

Firefox Web Developers.

The real question is whether this will meet your needs, or if you’ve already made up your mind to switch to a different browser.

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2025-12-21 17:40