> “AI is changing the web, and people want very different things from it,” Ajit Varma, Firefox’s vice president of product, writes in the announcement. “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.”
some people want nothing to do with AI
other people just want the AI to actually do something
I feel like with all the AI news and headlines we are seeing lately, I bet many people including me were ready to just be angry at another Mozilla AI bloat.
Firefox is supposed to be the browser were you don't have to dig through the settings every few months or year to find out what anti-patterns they added and disable them.
I stopped using it 2 years ago because that's no longer true. Time and time again I was having to dig around for whatever new setting got created and defaulted to a bad setting for a bad reason (spoiler: they want money)
At that point what am I gaining by not using Chrome, Edge, or what I ultimately use now, which is Brave. At least with Brave I get useful features like having access to Tor for basic things, great cryptocurrency support, etc.
> Time and time again I was having to dig around for whatever new setting got created and defaulted to a bad setting
I am genuinely curious what settings this refers to. I have been using Firefox for years and years now and only the Pocket thing really comes to mind, and getting rid of the icons on the new tab page. Neither of those felt particularly egregious.
This is a good step. It's unfortunate it came after significant user blow back from rapidly deploying AI features without surfacing these controls.
I hope the Firefox team learns from this because a vibrant, healthy Firefox is vital as an alternative to the browser engine duopoly controlled by commercial tech giants.
I could be wrong but I think that would first require legislation in all first world countries with some serious teeth to add headers or labels for any content that may be AI generated and then the browser updated to look for the header or label.
By serious teeth if a country contains a big platform that is not labeling correctly then after so many times they get fined millions then billions then sanctioned then embargoes after repeated offenses. Anything short of that in my opinion will be ignored as the cost of doing business.
California Governor signs key artificial intelligence transparency bill into law [0]
Quote:
What AB 853 does
Last year, SB 942 was enacted to ensure provenance information will be embedded into AI-generated content that will allow users to identify its origins. AB 853 complements this effort by:
• Requiring that large online platforms, such as social media sites, mass messaging platforms, and search engines, provide consumers with an easy, conspicuous way to discover if there’s any provenance information available that reliably indicates whether the content was generated with (or substantially altered by) a generative AI system or an authentic content capture device. If that information is available, the large online platform shall make clear the name of the generative AI system, or the name of the device, among other information.
• Prohibiting platforms and websites that make source code or model weights available for download from knowingly making available a GenAI system that doesn’t provide the disclosures required under SB 942. That law requires providers of certain GenAI systems to include latent disclosures in the content their system generates, including the name of the company, the name and version of the GenAI system that created or altered the content, and more.
• At the point of content creation, AB 853 enables provenance markings on authentic, human-generated content by requiring that recording devices sold in California, such as cameras and video cameras, include the option to embed such information.
Together with the foundation laid by SB 942, AB 853 empowers consumers to distinguish between AI-generated and human-created content, helping to slow the tide of misinformation and AI-powered fraud. It equips individuals with the tools they need to make informed decisions about the trustworthiness of the media they encounter. It also would accelerate the adoption of voluntary provenance standards that major tech companies are currently developing, such as those proposed by the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA).
I like the idea. The bills have good intention but without serious fines and other consequences those spending billions and billions to grift AI will pay to get governments to look the other way. Tech and government have been bed fellows since the start of tech.
> provide consumers with an easy, conspicuous way to discover if there’s any provenance information available that reliably indicates whether the content was generated with (or substantially altered by) a generative AI system or an authentic content capture device.
AI detection vs. "humanization" has been an arms race for some time and will continue so, for at least as long as students want to cheat on essay composition tests.
So any such blocking feature would produce both false positives and false negatives. Complicated by existence of pages that commingle organic human content (possibly plagiarized) along with AI slop.
Are you "users"? What are you basing your idea of what users want? Most users don't install any extensions, most users use AI, and most users will compare Firefox with browsers that have native AI integration.
I keep wondering why Firefox "users" don't just use an old copy of Netscape. Because that's clearly what they want. Old broken software that no one wants.
> Is there a way to simply have these not present at all, for people who don't want any of them?
This is quite literally what the article you're replying to is about.
> None of this is useful. Just stop.
Translations and tab grouping both seem pretty useful to me. Image alt text is probably very useful for those who need it. The remaining two, meh, but I'll just turn them off.
This quote is amazing
> “AI is changing the web, and people want very different things from it,” Ajit Varma, Firefox’s vice president of product, writes in the announcement. “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.”
some people want nothing to do with AI
other people just want the AI to actually do something
I feel like with all the AI news and headlines we are seeing lately, I bet many people including me were ready to just be angry at another Mozilla AI bloat.
But for once, it is a good thing
Firefox is supposed to be the browser were you don't have to dig through the settings every few months or year to find out what anti-patterns they added and disable them.
I stopped using it 2 years ago because that's no longer true. Time and time again I was having to dig around for whatever new setting got created and defaulted to a bad setting for a bad reason (spoiler: they want money)
At that point what am I gaining by not using Chrome, Edge, or what I ultimately use now, which is Brave. At least with Brave I get useful features like having access to Tor for basic things, great cryptocurrency support, etc.
> Time and time again I was having to dig around for whatever new setting got created and defaulted to a bad setting
I am genuinely curious what settings this refers to. I have been using Firefox for years and years now and only the Pocket thing really comes to mind, and getting rid of the icons on the new tab page. Neither of those felt particularly egregious.
- Privacy-Preserving Attribution (PPA) - Telemetry multiple times - Studies multiple times - Pocket - Sponsored shortcuts - Sponsored news - Sponsored site icons - Firefox suggest sponsor
Thank you!
> It provides a single place to block current and future generative AI features in Firefox.
Features they could have chosen not to introduce in the first place.
Translations and Image alt texts are useful though.
yes
"Total Opt-Out: How to Use Firefox 148’s New Master Switch to Block All AI Features"
https://chipp.in/security-privacy/total-opt-out-how-to-use-f...
At least a little funny to use an AI slop image for this.
This is a good step. It's unfortunate it came after significant user blow back from rapidly deploying AI features without surfacing these controls.
I hope the Firefox team learns from this because a vibrant, healthy Firefox is vital as an alternative to the browser engine duopoly controlled by commercial tech giants.
I'd vote for Firefox blocking all AI-generated content.
IMO, hard to do, though that would streamline browsing and up the quality of it.
Cheers.
I could be wrong but I think that would first require legislation in all first world countries with some serious teeth to add headers or labels for any content that may be AI generated and then the browser updated to look for the header or label.
By serious teeth if a country contains a big platform that is not labeling correctly then after so many times they get fined millions then billions then sanctioned then embargoes after repeated offenses. Anything short of that in my opinion will be ignored as the cost of doing business.
It's doable.
California Governor signs key artificial intelligence transparency bill into law [0]
Quote:
What AB 853 does
Last year, SB 942 was enacted to ensure provenance information will be embedded into AI-generated content that will allow users to identify its origins. AB 853 complements this effort by:
• Requiring that large online platforms, such as social media sites, mass messaging platforms, and search engines, provide consumers with an easy, conspicuous way to discover if there’s any provenance information available that reliably indicates whether the content was generated with (or substantially altered by) a generative AI system or an authentic content capture device. If that information is available, the large online platform shall make clear the name of the generative AI system, or the name of the device, among other information.
• Prohibiting platforms and websites that make source code or model weights available for download from knowingly making available a GenAI system that doesn’t provide the disclosures required under SB 942. That law requires providers of certain GenAI systems to include latent disclosures in the content their system generates, including the name of the company, the name and version of the GenAI system that created or altered the content, and more.
• At the point of content creation, AB 853 enables provenance markings on authentic, human-generated content by requiring that recording devices sold in California, such as cameras and video cameras, include the option to embed such information.
Together with the foundation laid by SB 942, AB 853 empowers consumers to distinguish between AI-generated and human-created content, helping to slow the tide of misinformation and AI-powered fraud. It equips individuals with the tools they need to make informed decisions about the trustworthiness of the media they encounter. It also would accelerate the adoption of voluntary provenance standards that major tech companies are currently developing, such as those proposed by the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA).
End quote
Not sure of the consequences for violation.
[0] https://advocacy.consumerreports.org/press_release/californi...
Not sure of the consequences for violation.
I like the idea. The bills have good intention but without serious fines and other consequences those spending billions and billions to grift AI will pay to get governments to look the other way. Tech and government have been bed fellows since the start of tech.
Not to mention the next iteration of:
> provide consumers with an easy, conspicuous way to discover if there’s any provenance information available that reliably indicates whether the content was generated with (or substantially altered by) a generative AI system or an authentic content capture device.
which can get out of hand fast.
Seriously...I would pay for web browsing, reddit, HackerNews, etc. to exclude all AI stuff. Thats more money than ive spent on AI products.
AI detection vs. "humanization" has been an arms race for some time and will continue so, for at least as long as students want to cheat on essay composition tests.
So any such blocking feature would produce both false positives and false negatives. Complicated by existence of pages that commingle organic human content (possibly plagiarized) along with AI slop.
For a moment I thought this was going to be about WebMCP
This isn't what users wanted at all. You flat out ignored them. Users want this as a browser extension and not shoved down their throats.
Are you "users"? What are you basing your idea of what users want? Most users don't install any extensions, most users use AI, and most users will compare Firefox with browsers that have native AI integration.
They listened and as a result they're explicitly going out of their way to not shove AI down users' throats.
I keep wondering why Firefox "users" don't just use an old copy of Netscape. Because that's clearly what they want. Old broken software that no one wants.
Because Google keeps pushing new "standards" and websites use them. Otherwise yeah that would be a nice fantasy.
Here's what they've apparently got in 147:
* Translations * Image alt text in Nightly PDF viewer * Tab group suggestions * Key points in link previews * Chatbot providers in sidebar
Is there a way to simply have these not present at all, for people who don't want any of them?
None of this is useful. Just stop.
I use firefox translations pretty often since the models are run offline.
> Is there a way to simply have these not present at all, for people who don't want any of them?
This is quite literally what the article you're replying to is about.
> None of this is useful. Just stop.
Translations and tab grouping both seem pretty useful to me. Image alt text is probably very useful for those who need it. The remaining two, meh, but I'll just turn them off.
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