The Future of Browsers: Waterfox's Critique of AI-First Strategies

Waterfox founder Alex Kontos recently responded to Mozilla’s shift toward an AI-first strategy, emphasizing that browsers should serve as user agents rather than thinking agents. The article provides an in-depth analysis of Mozilla’s survival crisis and market pressures while criticizing the lack of transparency in large language models (LLMs) as ‘black box’ technology. Kontos explicitly stated that Waterfox will not integrate LLMs, believing that current AI forms violate the fundamental principle that browsers should respect user control. As a Firefox fork, Waterfox highlights its formal governance structure and legal entity, ensuring accountability to users. The article notes that while AI browsers may become a trend, the distributed nature of the Web will provide users with alternative choices, and Waterfox will continue to serve users who value independence and transparency. This discussion reflects the value divide in the browser industry in the AI era and offers important insights for understanding technology development directions.