Firefox 148 Lets You Kill All AI Features in One Click (firefox.com)
- Reference: 0180864202
- News link: https://news.slashdot.org/story/26/02/26/182239/firefox-148-lets-you-kill-all-ai-features-in-one-click
- Source link: https://www.firefox.com/en-US/firefox/148.0/releasenotes/
The update also patches more than 50 security vulnerabilities -- none known to be under active exploitation -- over half of which Mozilla classifies as high risk, including five sandbox escape flaws and eight use-after-free bugs in the JavaScript engine that could allow code execution.
[1] https://www.firefox.com/en-US/firefox/148.0/releasenotes/
inconsiderate? (Score:2)
Good move... It may be bad for Ai usage statistics... Did they consider that? ;-)
Re: (Score:2)
That's the catch. They use AI to report AI usage statistics. So when you turn the AI off nothing gets reported about your usage; ergo 100% of reports show AI usage.
Sure it does (Score:3, Informative)
Sure it turns off all the AI stuff, we totally believe you 100%.
Of course you'd spend billions creating this thing, forcing it into the software, then attempt to force everyone to use it, but then yeah of course you'd add a button to "turn it all off". Sure you would.
Well you have the source code... (Score:1)
Wouldn't it be possible to verify the kill switch is doing what it claims to?
Re: (Score:2)
Theoretically yes, but you'd have to go through a LOT of code to make sure there's also nothing to secretly turn it back on, or to later get an update to turn it back on, etc. At the end of the day a level of trust is required.
Re: (Score:1)
1) How many people would be good enough to spot the code?
2) We're also assuming that we really downloaded the actual source code. Maybe there are multiple versions masquerading under the same build number. Maybe there are A/B or Blue/Green tests going on with the downloads. How would we ever really know?
Re: (Score:2)
That's no problem, I'll just have my firefox AI agent...wait a minute!
Re: (Score:2)
Theoretically.
Re: (Score:2)
> Wouldn't it be possible to verify the kill switch is doing what it claims to?
IMO, you're missing the point.
Integrating features (ex. AI features) and then LATER adding controls to toggle them means it's an afterthought.
I made a test-first-development analogy on the last post of this, and it applies here as well. In development, most would agree that test driven development (you write the test for a feature first, then implement the feature until it passes all the tests) is an ideal way to do things, though people often skip to implementing first. Same here. In this case, they could
Now add another button (Score:2)
One that will get rid of Sam Altman permanently.
Firefox is just an escape valve now (Score:5, Interesting)
It still wastes too much "free money" from Google on useless outreach and slop features instead of catching up to web standards, I am fed up of Bugzilla reports being ignored, it's no good pointing them out here because Mozilla would have fixed the bugs long ago if they actually read their own Bugzilla instead.
I've pointed out again and again that Mozilla is too dependent on ublock origin while at the same time stuffing their browser with advertising instead of using their donation budget properly. I call them Mo$illa for a reason. As soon as Ladybird and Servo are out of beta most remaining Firefox users will dump Gecko for more web tech focused engines instead.
Mozilla is due for an Xfree86/Xlibre type rebellion, and I'm not afraid to say that because much of the open source world is changing with many new devs coming in because of Microsoft ruining Windows and with legacy code being rewritten faster then ever now. Mozilla is history now, Phoenix was 24 years ago, it's long due for another rebirth.
"Lets You Kill All AI Features" meh (Score:3)
To bad they added them in the first place!
Already disabled (Score:3)
I only wish I could do more than disable: tear the code right out of firefox. I hate AI with a passion.
Despite the dupe, something good could come of it (Score:2)
If Mozilla really wanted to benefit the world, it would collect statistics on how many Firefox users deliberately disabled the AI features and publish them, or even aggressively market the results.
Re: (Score:2)
This exactly. I would LOVE to see that statistic.
And the next step in this evolution: if it's disabled in the browser, it should send a string to search engines, etc, to automatically disable AI in search results as well.
Step three: detect and warn about AI content on any pages you're visiting.
Need this to happen STAT.
Amazing. (Score:2)
Nice business plan
1: Add features that a privacy focused user base didn't ask for
2: Add feature to remove the feature
3: Get press
This is not true (Score:2)
From the Mozilla help pages: "The AI Controls settings panel does not include features that use traditional machine learning, such as systems that classify, rank, or personalize an experience." So clearly, these controls do not block *all* artificial intelligence features. I also didn't expect they would (among other reasons because they don't have a coherent definition of what exactly is or is not an AI feature), but advertising it like this is still misleading.
dupe: kill with fire (Score:2)
nuff said.
Re: (Score:2)
Fire in the hole!!!!!
Re: (Score:2)
> Fire in the hole!!!!!
A childbirth moment, if ever there was one.