This is good news, as I don’t care for or desire to use AI for anything. It’s just not factual or reliable, and has no real intelligence. Throw in the apparent hijacking of conversations leading to psychosis, institutionalization, and suicides; and you might be alarmed to find out who you’re actually communicating with.
https://9to5linux.com/firefox-will-ship-with-an-ai-kill-switch-to-completely-disable-all-ai-features
Mozilla said that all the AI features that are or will be included in Firefox will also be opt-in.
By Marcus Nestor
After the controversial news shared earlier this week by Mozilla’s new CEO that Firefox will evolve into “a modern AI browser,” the company now revealed it is working on an AI kill switch for the open-source web browser.
On Tuesday, Anthony Enzor-DeMeo was named the new CEO of Mozilla Corporation, the company behind the beloved Firefox web browser used by almost all GNU/Linux distributions as the default browser.
In his message as new CEO, Anthony Enzor-DeMeo stated that Firefox will grow from a browser into a broader ecosystem of trusted software while remaining the company’s anchor, and that Firefox will evolve into a modern AI browser and support a portfolio of new and trusted software additions.
What was not made clear is that Firefox will also ship with an AI kill switch that will let users completely disable all the AI features that are included in Firefox. Mozilla shared this important update earlier today to make it clear to everyone that Firefox will still be a trusted web browser.
“Something that hasn’t been made clear: Firefox will have an option to completely disable all AI features. We’ve been calling it the AI kill switch internally. I’m sure it’ll ship with a less murderous name, but that’s how seriously and absolutely we’re taking this,” said Firefox developer Jake Archibald on Mastodon.
In addition, Jake Archibald said that all the AI features that are or will be included in Firefox will also be opt-in. “I think there are some grey areas in what ‘opt-in’ means to different people (e.g. is a new toolbar button opt-in?), but the kill switch will absolutely remove all that stuff, and never show it in future. That’s unambiguous.“
Personally, I do hope Firefox will remain the same web browser I’ve been using for the past 20 years. As long as AI remains opt-in and it’s not shoved down our throats, I have no problem with that. The upcoming release, Firefox 147, is expected on January 13th, 2026, with support for the XDG Base Directory Specification.
Update: Mozilla has contacted me shortly after writing the story to confirm that the “AI Kill Switch” will be implemented in Q1 2026, as Mozilla’s new CEO Anthony Enzor-DeMeo also confirmed this earlier today on reddit, stating:
“To be successful Firefox should serve almost everyone. Browsers are a unique product, it’s a product that has to work for just about everyone on the planet. Developers, Linux users, students, parents, and people who never change a default setting. Their needs differ. Sometimes they conflict. My job is not to ignore one group to serve another. It is to make Firefox work for everyone without losing its core values.
Rest assured, Firefox will always remain a browser built around user control. That includes AI. You will have a clear way to turn AI features off. A real kill switch is coming in Q1 of 2026. Choice matters and demonstrating our commitment to choice is how we build and maintain trust.”