Firefox boss Ajit Varma on product priorities, AI scepticism and browser choice

[Gaz_23]

Mozilla's head of Firefox, Ajit Varma, has been talking about where the browser is heading, and his message is that Mozilla is not trying to become an AI company. He said Firefox is simply trying to build the best browser and to think about how AI can improve specific browsing tasks. That is a noticeably different tone from Google, Microsoft and others pushing AI into everything

Choice is the key theme. Firefox offers an optional sidebar that connects to several chatbots, including Gemini, Copilot, ChatGPT, Claude and Mistral's Le Chat, and a kill switch called Block AI enhancements that hides all AI tools completely. Varma said only about 5 percent of users have experimented with the AI sidebar. Mozilla also tries to run AI features on the device where possible, such as tab grouping suggestions and a Smart Window that summarises pages locally, rather than sending data to the cloud

The browser market has been tough for Firefox, with its desktop share falling a long way since its peak around 2011. But Varma credits the EU's Digital Markets Act with a real boost. He said the mandatory browser choice screen generated more than 6 million new installs in Europe, Firefox's growth on iOS is about 115 percent higher, and users who pick Firefox from the choice screen are five times more likely to keep using it. It is a rare example of regulation directly helping a smaller competitor

He also contrasted Mozilla's not for profit roots with the incentives of giant listed companies, which he said are driven to maximise value for shareholders. Longer term, he sees AI agents handling more complex browsing tasks, though some advanced features might be paid. That sits alongside the long running criticism that Mozilla still depends heavily on its search deal with Google

It is refreshing to hear a tech leader talk about AI as optional rather than inevitable. Do you use Firefox, and would you switch off the AI features straight away? And has the EU choice screen made a difference to which browser you use?

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