While AI companies, startups, and others are rolling out their own web browsers that embed AI services deep into the web surfing experience, Mozilla’s Firefox is instead allowing its customers to swap out their default search engine for an AI-powered search option in the browser they already use. The company on Tuesday announced that it’s bringing AI answer engine Perplexity to Firefox, letting customers decide whether they want to use AI to search the web and find new information.
Mozilla had previously announced it was testing the integration, but the option was only available in select markets, including the U.S., U.K., and Germany. It was not yet determined if Perplexity would become a permanent addition to Firefox’s list of web search providers, alongside others like Google, Bing, and DuckDuckGo.
Now, the company says that positive user feedback has pushed it to make Perplexity available to its global users on the desktop. It will arrive on mobile devices in the months ahead.
Once enabled, Perplexity offers a conversational search experience where answers appear with citations, as opposed to a list of web links, as with Google’s traditional search. The option will appear in the unified search button in the address bar, which lets you quickly switch to search with Perplexity as needed. Users can also configure their default search provider in Firefox’s settings.
Mozilla had earlier said that if the Perplexity pilot was successful, it would look to add more AI answer engines or search options to its browser in the future. (It likely started with Perplexity because the company says it won’t share or sell users’ personal data.)
Alongside news of the AI search option, Mozilla also noted it’s making its browser profiles broadly available to all users after months of tests and a gradual rollout. This feature lets you switch between different browser setups, like those for work, school, or personal use.
Plus, the company continues to test visual search with Google Lens among those who set Google as their default search provider on the desktop.
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