This is how to disable the new “AI” chatbot in #Firefox:

This is how to disable the new “AI” chatbot in #Firefox:

  • type about:config into the awesome bar
  • skip the warning for first time modders
  • locate the browser.ml.chat.enabled setting and set it to false

In the #Librewolf fork, a thoughtful person has already done this for you.

(HT to @kuketzblog@social.tchncs.de for the hint!)

#genAI #chatbot #bullshitgenerator #llm #dontCallItAI

104 points · 28 comments · view on lemmy.world

28 Comments

30p87@feddit.org · 13 pts · 1y (7 replies)

Is that Murica-only/Not-EU? Because I haven't seen any mention of AI/ML/LLM in nightly.

switchingsoftware@fedifreu.de · 6 pts · 1y (4 replies)

@30p87@feddit.org Murica?

Mozilla introduced the chatbot option in Firefox 133: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/ai-chatbot

Vincent@feddit.nl · 11 pts · 1y (2 replies)

It's already disabled by default though. And if you use the sidebar/vertical tabs and even want to remove the menu option there, click "Customize sidebar", then uncheck "AI chatbot". No need for messing with about:config and ignoring warnings.

switchingsoftware@fedifreu.de · 4 pts · 1y (1 reply)

@Vincent@feddit.nl Disabled in the sidebar or in about:config?

According to our tests, vanilla Firefox has browser.ml.chat.enabled = true by default.

Vincent@feddit.nl · 6 pts · 1y

Disabled as in there is no AI chatbot you can chat with by default until you set it up. If you enable the sidebar/vertical tabs, there is an "AI chatbot" button, but if you click that, you'll still have to set it up yourself, if I remember correctly. And you can remove that button the way I described.

30p87@feddit.org · 5 pts · 1y

Murica, as in a Redneck-accent version of "America", as that is usually the breeding spot of bullshit - a first world country economically (let's see for how long), but a third world country in terms of human rights, especially digitally

allo@chaos.social · 2 pts · 1y (1 reply)

@30p87
It's only a sidebar that can show a LLM chat tab (basically just a framed website) of different LLM providers including fully local ones.

@switchingsoftware

30p87@feddit.org · 2 pts · 1y

I just discovered that there is something like a sidebar, lol. But yeah, considering you can disable the tab without any hassle, I wouldn't consider it a real problem. As long as they don't try to integrate it further.

lbheuschkel@helvede.net · 8 pts · 1y (2 replies)

@switchingsoftware@fedifreu.de @kuketzblog@social.tchncs.de Thanks!

... Picture my delight in realising LibreWolf already did that for me.

Bazoogle@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 1y (1 reply)

I'm on v136 of firefox and don't see any sign of an AI chat. I have not changed any settings

FeelzGoodMan420@eviltoast.org · 1 pts · 1y
[ removed ]
ProtonBadger@lemmy.ca · 8 pts · 1y

Oh, I didn't even realize it was there. It's just a button in the sidebar. One can right click on the sidebar, click customize to toggle it.

markhburton@mstdn.social · 6 pts · 1y (9 replies)

@switchingsoftware@fedifreu.de @kuketzblog@social.tchncs.de
What about the Android version? I don't think the method works for that

Vincent@feddit.nl · 4 pts · 1y

On desktop Firefox, it's not enabled by default. On Firefox for Android, it's not even there, i.e. you can't even enable it.

markhburton@mstdn.social · 0 pts · 1y (6 replies)

@switchingsoftware @kuketzblog
But about:config does work on the Iceraven fork. So if they implement it on android there'll be a fix.
You install it from here https://github.com/fork-maintainers/iceraven-browser/releases. Look for the readme file. Straightforward but you have to check for updates every so often. It also has a wider range of plugins, my initial reason for switching.

switchingsoftware@fedifreu.de · 1 pts · 1y (5 replies)

@markhburton

We recommend #IronFox as a cleaned up Firefox fork for Android. It supports about:config, too.

stephenhomewood@mastodon.sdf.org · 1 pts · 1y (4 replies)

@switchingsoftware@fedifreu.de @markhburton@mstdn.social Hi - Where can I find ironwolf - it's not showing up in ddg search?

switchingsoftware@fedifreu.de · 1 pts · 1y (3 replies)

@stephenhomewood@mastodon.sdf.org

Oops, it's #Ironfox, not Ironwolf:

https://github.com/ironfox-oss/IronFox

@markhburton@mstdn.social

markhburton@mstdn.social · 1 pts · 1y (1 reply)

@switchingsoftware@fedifreu.de @stephenhomewood@mastodon.sdf.org
It claims to be installable from F-Droid (isn't there) and Accrescent (install doesn't work).

switchingsoftware@fedifreu.de · 1 pts · 1y

@markhburton @stephenhomewood

IronFox' readme does a poor job explaining how to install this app via F-Droid. IronFox is not yet part of F-Droid's own package repository. So you have to add IronFox's F-Droid repo before you can install IronFox.

Opening this link in F-Droid allows you to add their repo:
https://fdroid.ironfoxoss.org/fdroid/repo?fingerprint=c5e291b5a571f9c8cd9a9799c2c94e02ec9703948893f2ca756d67b94204f904

stephenhomewood@mastodon.sdf.org · 1 pts · 1y

@switchingsoftware@fedifreu.de @markhburton@mstdn.social Thanks - Glad one of us is paying attention 😄

Goretantath@lemm.ee · 0 pts · 1y

Yeah when they add it to mobile firefox were fucked, rated one star and they vommented saying they have no plans to add about:config to mobile firefox, telling me to use the beta shit version instead.

cpacaud@mstdn.christianpacaud.com · 4 pts · 1y

@switchingsoftware@fedifreu.de @kuketzblog@social.tchncs.de Zen Browser also seems to have it disabled by default.

mral@mastodon.sdf.org · 3 pts · 1y

@switchingsoftware@fedifreu.de @kuketzblog@social.tchncs.de
thanks

Verain@c.im · 2 pts · 1y

@switchingsoftware@fedifreu.de Done. Thanks!

Psythik@lemm.ee · 2 pts · 1y (1 reply)

Thanks. I actually like the idea of an AI sidebar, but I'm not using it until they let you use any AI rather than a preset list picked by Mozilla.

Vincent@feddit.nl · 3 pts · 1y

There is actually a hidden option in about:config called browser.ml.chat.provider that allows you to set your own chatbot URL. I'm not sure if that works with the context menu setting (I find that annoying, so I haven't tried), but I have set up https://duck.ai/ for example.

mral@mastodon.sdf.org · 2 pts · 1y

@switchingsoftware@fedifreu.de @kuketzblog@social.tchncs.de

done, thanks

JRepin@mstdn.io · 1 pts · 1y

@switchingsoftware@fedifreu.de @kuketzblog@social.tchncs.de Thank you very much @librewolf@chaos.social for keeping Firefox clean