Mozilla plans to add artificial intelligence features to its Firefox web browser. At the WSJ’s Future of Everything Festival Mozilla CEO Laura Chambers and Mozilla Foundation president Mark Surman shared their vision for the future of the web with WSJ tech columnist Christopher Mims. Plus, new research questions how much screens before bed actually delay sleep.
Why is this being added to the browser and not as an extension? At the very least, I would assume it’s pretty easy to turn off; but, this looks like feature creep causing the browser to bloat up again.
Nooooo
There is already some built into it which is genuinely useful, for example the local translation engine based on project Bergamot, and currently being tested in Firefox Nightly is the ability to generate an image alt-text, which is great for accessibility.
AI isn’t just about the mainstream generative stuff, it can have some privacy benefits when executed locally.
Generating alt texts is generative AI, but generative AI isn’t inherently bad.
Gross. What do I need AI in browser for
Does it utilize the NPU? Can you customize the features at all? I wouldn’t want it erroneously using vast chunks of my CPU for marginal benefit.
That’s a convoluted way to say “Firefox browser will have AI features”. This headline looks like they’re visiting the browser manufacturing line and seeing a new set of sprockets ready to be installed in the thingamabob.
They are literally interviewing the makers of Firefox, and getting insights outside of Firefox’s press release. I find the title appropriate for the content.
Good use of AI
It’s locally generated alt-text for images, which is useful for blind people with screen readers
I’m using Fulguris as my browser and I’m so glad I found it on F Droid
I’m surprised that Firefox has no AI elements already. As long as they don’t add some LLM BS, I’m sure we’ll be just fine.
(That’s sarcasm, they are indeed talking about LLM specifically, and not AI in general.)
They’re adding auto-generated alt-text for images for blind people. Processed with an on-device ai
It has AI elements already, such as a page translator.
Yes, that’s what I’m getting at (but thank you for elaborating).
The article makes it seem like they want to “add AI” to Firefox, while it in reality appears to be about LLM. It is
unthinkableunlikely that Firefox would not already have some kind of AI implemented.
