Discussion
Mozilla has a new CEO. Once again iterating that the future of Firefox is AI first, AI by default:
"Firefox will grow from a browser into a broader ecosystem of trusted software"
"It will evolve into a modern AI browser"
"AI should always be a choice — something people can easily turn off."
Source: https://blog.mozilla.org/en/mozilla/leadership/mozillas-next-chapter-anthony-enzor-demeo-new-ceo/
@sarahjamielewis 🤢 (not fun seeing this emoji in my frequently used list)
@sarahjamielewis more like nozilla
@sarahjamielewis "You were supposed to destroy the Sith, not JOIN them!"
@sarahjamielewis the fact that this guy does not have a mastodon account says enough for me...
... But in case he is reading stuff here, I'll give him his bottom line:
- squeeze Google for everything they got (because without #Mozilla, #Google are exposed to market abuse/dominance charges) Squeeze, squeeze, squeeze!
- give us a non-evil browser without any fluff like AI, VPN.
- Make it compatible and fast and for the love of God: DO NOT ADD FEATURES NOBODY WANTS
- that's all you crazy *uck!
Or: how to alienate your loyal userbase
@sarahjamielewis the "it's optional" defense is so very tired. it doesn't matter, i don't feel comfortable supporting a company that feels comfortable using the slop machine that is literally scorching our earth. even if i can turn it off
@sarahjamielewis why don't they just create a new browser? Like some hot new fancy AI-first browser based on firefox. This way: (a) firefox users won't need to suffer and (b) people who don't care and never will care about fierfox will be incentivized to try this new shiny thing. Currently they have appeal to no one.
AI is:
1. Spyware
2. Enshittification of Search
3. State surveillance
4. An energy & water hog
5. Election interference
6. Funded by the most corrupt industry on the planet
7. A violation of privacy
8. A way to balloon utility rates
9. A path to mass layoffs
10. A way to suppress wages
11. A bubble
@sarahjamielewis last thing i want is AI in my browser
@sarahjamielewis whos asking for all this AI?
@sarahjamielewis “An ecosystem of trusted software,” built on a foundation of theft. Trusted.
@sarahjamielewis "the most trusted software company" and "AI first, AI by default" is a contradiction.
@sarahjamielewis All while AI is knowingly unreliable. It admits to making things up. Continues to do so and says sorry each time but keeps confabulating.
Like a teenager - so really not something to be part of trusted software.
@sarahjamielewis
"Ai browser" is just such a useless thing.
These people are cooked, and by extension, so are we.
The AI in Firefox has already lost me. They aren't listening to their core fan base anymore.
@sarahjamielewis I'm sure things will go just as well for this CEO as they've gone for all the previous ones.
@sarahjamielewis @hazz223 CEOs / CIOs are always recruited by the very people who already have the problematic thinking. So, it’s rare for the to be a significant change to major strategies.
@rachel @sarahjamielewis agreed.
We’re going to *continue* to watch Mozilla and Firefox descend into nothing. (That’s my opinion anyway).
Ugh, so frustrating to watch.
@sarahjamielewis that's just some more AI bullshit noone asked for.
Thank God I don't use Firefox.
@sarahjamielewis FirefoxOS was also a future Mozilla wasted years building, and we know how that ended
@sarahjamielewis Yeah... They already lost me.
To your point about Firefox forks struggling to "undo" all the AI cruft, I don't feel like that's sustainable over the long term.
Then again, I don't have a solution. The LibreWolf and Waterfox teams are fighting the good fight.
@sarahjamielewis Feels like Mozilla has been trying to slowly kill Firefox for about 15 years. I think they are close to succeeding.
sigh...
@mozilla your future isn't AI. you're not trying for VC money, are you? if not, no reason to drink the toxic AI kool-aid. please stop.
go back to your roots. a safe, reliable browser, where safe includes privacy proctection and doesn't include hallucinations.
@sarahjamielewis Definitely should be an opt-in feature with a single, simple control. The current method to disable it forces it on many non-technical users.
@sarahjamielewis A sad development. I really hope that someone, somehow manages to get another non-webkit free software browser going, but I'm not optimistic.
...
The hoops you have to jump through to turn off AI in Firefox right now belies these quotes.
I kinda feel like they've burned their trust already. Mayhaps I'm just a bitter nearly-old man?
Mozilla insist that people trust them. I assume they have insight and metrics that reinforce that view.
Perhaps I am getting old and this truly is the only path forward to maintain an independent browser.
I continue to feel that this is a terrible idea that has likely irrevocably jeopardized the future of firefox and, by extension, the open web.
The overhead of disabling every single AI-first change in Firefox is already starting to weigh on firefox-forks.
My view on this hasn't really shifted in the last few months: unless an existing organization, with strong principles, steps forwards and commits to a hard fork I don't really see a future for Firefox.
(I think there are probably only 1-2 orgs with the combination of experience / maturity to actually pull that off, and none of them seem to be even considering that kind of future)
@sarahjamielewis Came to same realization a year ago. My choice @Vivaldi - although their overall browser is closed source, and they do use Chromium rendering engine (open source but deeply influenced by Google) they are trustworthy in their defiance of big tech, their intense effort at privacy, blocking every privacy issue Chome does not - and their passion for the Open Social web. Plus their building in of Notes and RSS apps into browser makes you less dependent on cloud systems for such.
@tchambers @sarahjamielewis @Vivaldi you may already know this, but all of Vivaldi is open source except the UI
@sarahjamielewis you are exactly right, firefox is dead.
Open community must now check on what we must be doing now.
I use cromite, but it's a temporary choice as those AI feature slowly invade chromium too.
So it's now or never for @servo , #ladybug etc.
After it will be too late to save the open web.
@sarahjamielewis not sure whether #firefox forks like in @iode's #iodéOS can also offer "AI disable by default" or remove any #AI code, but it seems a legitimite way to go. Also, it will be an #EU country to handle such modifications. #France #digitalsouvereignity
"""
iodé Browser
iodé browser is based on Firefox with #telemetry disabled, trackers removed, and alternative search engines: #Qwant (default), #Brave, #Ecosia, #Metager, Qwant light, #Startpage and several #Searx instances.
"""
https://iode.tech/iodeos/
@sarahjamielewis I’ll only believe him if there is an easy to find AI kill switch in Firefox. So far, there isn’t.
@sarahjamielewis feels like we are all watching for the rug pull everyone knows is coming ☹️
@sarahjamielewis I trust FF like gas station sushi.
Doesn't really _feel_ independent if it's using AI does it?
They are intrinsically linking themselves to monitizers and IP thieves.
(The provocative language is a choice. :D)
@sarahjamielewis once upon a time I trusted them on privacy a whole lot more than Chrome overall. Now I see them as just a different set of risks you have to accept if two rendering engines is to be the future.
@sarahjamielewis I suspect that the trust is based on outdated perceptions of FF.
"Turn off" is not a real choice. I have to do work on every fucking update.
(I know that you know that - i just need to vent!)
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