Late last year, Mozilla announced that it was evolving Firefox into an AI browser as part of new CEO Anthony Enzor-DeMeo's new plan to turn Firefox into a "broader ecosystem of software."
This announcement sparked considerable pushback from Firefox users, much in the same way that Microsoft received backlash when it announced that it was evolving Windows into an agentic OS.
Mozilla quickly dampened the outrage after its announcement by letting users know that the AI tools in Firefox would be optional, and that there would be something like an AI kill switch to make the toggle easy. That promise has now been realized in a new announcement from Mozilla.
In an upcoming Firefox 148 update, expected to arrive on February 24, users will now have access to a one-stop settings section, including a single toggle to block all AI enhancements, within the browser.
Wouldn't it be nice to have something similar in Edge?
Will Microsoft ever implement a similar AI kill switch in Edge?
It seems like every major web browser is increasingly integrated with AI, and Edge is no different. Microsoft's AI CEO, Mustafa Suleyman, has stated that the plan is to evolve Edge into a "true agentic browser," giving AI access to the same tools you use, rather than creating a new product for the AI age.
Under this direction, Copilot Mode arrived in July 2025 as an experimental way to let AI take over your browser completely. Copilot Journeys and Copilot Actions arrived with wider availability late last year.
More recently, it was revealed that Microsoft is killing Edge's Sidebar app list feature. As my colleague Sean Endicott noted, the Edge Sidebar coincidentally gets in the way of Copilot in your browser window.
And if you aren't yet totally convinced that Microsoft wants to go full AI with Edge, just remember that the app is currently undergoing a major UI refresh to make it look more like the Copilot app instead of Windows 11's Fluent Design.
Edge's evolution has resulted in a mash-up of classic and AI tools across the browser and its menus. While the AI additions are largely useful and, as some would argue, necessary in the modern online world, they certainly aren't popular with all users.
As it stands now, the process of disabling Copilot and other AI features in Edge isn't as straightforward as many would like it to be. The settings are spread out in sub-menus like Appearance, Languages, and AI innovations, making it difficult for the average user to effectively disable all AI, should they desire to do so. But, hey, at least we can now easily hide the Copilot button on the toolbar.
Seeing Firefox get a unified AI kill switch only makes me want one for Edge. Microsoft is desperate to drive adoption of its web browser, and giving users the ability to easily disable Copilot would undoubtedly earn some good favor.
Are you a fan of Edge's AI integrations? Why or why not? Which ones do you use most? Let me know in the comments section!
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