Mozilla Adding New 'AI Window' Feature to Its Firefox (connect.mozilla.org)

Mozilla announced a new "AI Window" for Firefox — an in‑browser, chat-style assistant designed to help while you browse. The feature is described as early-stage, opt‑in, and user‑configurable: you can toggle it on/off anytime, pick the AI model you prefer, and sign up to give feedback as development continues. It builds on recent AI additions like the sidebar chatbot and iOS "Shake to Summarize," and Mozilla says the goal is to integrate AI in ways that emphasize openness, transparency and choice. The move matters because it signals Firefox’s intent to framework AI features into the browser rather than leave them solely to extensions, with implications for privacy, performance and extensibility. Key technical expectations (model flexibility, user control) could enable local models or third‑party backends, but the post prompted strong community pushback: many users demand a clear, single “opt‑out” switch, default‑off settings, easier controls (not hidden in about:config), and the option to run local models or treat AI as an add‑on. The debate highlights tensions between innovation and user trust — Mozilla’s next steps (defaults, data handling, local vs cloud model support) will determine whether AI Window is seen as a privacy‑respecting utility or an unwanted feature.