Firefox adds AI kill switch, per-feature controls

Mozilla is adding an “AI control” option to Firefox on February 24, letting users disable or enable individual AI features — or flip a single switch to disable all current and upcoming AI capabilities. The settings will let people opt out of things like a built‑in AI chatbot, AI translations, AI tab‑group suggestions, the company’s “shake to summarize” features, and whether Firefox uses AI to generate alt text for images in PDFs or key points in link previews.

The move follows Mozilla CEO Anthony Enzor‑DeMeo’s December promise of an AI “kill switch” after some users pushed back on Firefox’s AI additions. Ajit Varma, Firefox’s vice president of product, framed the change as preserving choice: “AI is changing the web, and people want very different things from it,” he wrote in the announcement, noting that Mozilla heard from both users who “want nothing to do with AI” and those who want useful AI tools. Firefox is also developing an opt‑in “AI Window,” an assistant/chatbot browsing experience, but the new controls give people a way to opt out entirely or pick which features to keep.