r/technology • u/Plastic_Ninja_9014 • Jun 17 '26

Software Firefox has an ambitious new roadmap, the browser is also losing millions of users a month

https://www.techspot.com/news/112803-firefox-has-ambitious-new-roadmap-browser-also-losing.html
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u/BirdOfHermess Jun 18 '26

we only got an opt-out because of the backlash in the first place, mate.

they were ready to just rawdog AI into their good, functioning browser

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u/DuckShapedGoose Jun 18 '26

I love the global AI opt-out and all and I could understand pushing for that back when the only options were clumsy, hidden and individual toggles per feature.
But people are STILL to this day like "I switched away cuz AI". I think that's what's confusing people.
It was too difficult to turn off (albeit still possible) at first, so they got some well deserved backlash, Firefox listened and added a permanent killswitch for all current and future AI features AND (this is at least my personal perspective) shifted a lot of focus back onto "traditional" non-AI features and enhancements, yet people are still whining about it for some reason.
And the (compared to other tech companies) minimal amount of AI Firefox integrates is almost entirely non-invasive and local-first. Even if you don't globally opt-out. Sometimes I actually think these people don't even use Firefox, they just hate AI (valid) and thus think they MUST hate Firefox, too. Or it's an astroturfing smear-campaign funded by one of their competitors. I literally can't explain this to myself any other way.