Discussion · bonfire.cafe

@mttaggart@infosec.exchange · 2 days ago

Mozilla vs. their core audience

Phoebe/Joey Meme;

Be the
Stewards of
The Open Web
Phoebe: Be the stewards of the open web
Joey: Put AI Shit in Everything — Phoebe/Joey Meme; Be the Stewards of The Open Web Phoebe: Be the stewards of the open web Joey: Put AI Shit in Everything

@sergedroz@infosec.exchange replied · 12 hours ago

@mttaggart I disagree here. A lot of people want and use AI and I personally find it useful for some things but not others.

Mozilla, as opposed to others claims to make this a voluntary thing. That's the way to go, give people a choice, not force them either way.

If the only choice is AI forced down your throat or no AI at all, most folks will choose the former.

The world is not black and white, although, it seems we increasingly go absolute.

Taggart

@mttaggart@infosec.exchange replied · 11 hours ago

@sergedroz People already had a choice in Firefox without adding features that, as this post suggests, are by no means popular with Firefox's core user base. Nothing stopped Firefox users from using those tools if they wanted. Moves like "AI Mode" represent a conscious choice to favor these toxic technologies over other possible uses of Mozilla's time and treasure.

Serge Droz

@sergedroz@infosec.exchange replied · 11 hours ago

@mttaggart this one: https://blog.mozilla.org/en/firefox/ai-window/. Seems ok to me, giving ordinary people a choice

https://blog.mozilla.org/en/

Introducing AI, the Firefox way: A look at what we’re working on and how you can help shape it

We recently shared how we are approaching AI in Firefox — with user choice and openness as our guiding principles. That’s because we believe AI should

Taggart

@mttaggart@infosec.exchange replied · 11 hours ago

@sergedroz What "choice" has been given that was absent before? If the answer is the choice to experience the web using a less secure, misinformation prone interface, I don't see the benefit. Is the choice the need to disable this if users want? Why is that an improvement? And that's not even considering the opportunity cost of investing in this work rather than anything else to improve the browser.

What you call "choice," I call a needless incursion of toxic technology into a browser that needed none of it.

Æ Sea F.

@hcf@infosec.exchange replied · 11 hours ago

@mttaggart @sergedroz Where do you guys see AI in Firefox? I've been using Firefox for years on multiple devices. It updates itself regularly but I'm still to see that something AI like would be pushed on me, unless I go to settings and enable something. If or when I want AI in my browser I'll have it with a click. I think it's a good choice to have.

Serge Droz

@sergedroz@infosec.exchange replied · 11 hours ago

@mttaggart most people want an integrated experience. That's why Google's experience is so nice, stuff just worse and is integrated. But most big tech companies give you little choice and if you can opt out it's buried deep.

So either ff or others leave this stuff completely and cater to a niche or they try better ways.

Taggart

@mttaggart@infosec.exchange replied · 10 hours ago

@sergedroz "Most people" are not Firefox users. They are already a niche, and Mozilla has a stated mission. This ain't that, and the user base knows it.

Look at the response here: https://connect.mozilla.org/t5/discussions/building-ai-the-firefox-way-shaping-what-s-next-together/td-p/109922

This is not in service of Mozilla's stated mission. https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/about/manifesto/