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Each provider can help with things like summarizing what you’re reading, brainstorming ideas, and getting help writing. Learn about what to keep in mind when using AI chatbots.
Learn how to select a provider, switch between providers and remove the AI chatbot after you've added it to Firefox.
What to keep in mind when using AI chatbots
If you choose to use AI chatbots – whether that’s in Firefox, as an app, or in another browser – keep these things in mind:
- When you use a chatbot, you are agreeing to that provider’s privacy policies and terms of use. Each chatbot provider has their own terms of use and privacy policies. View the privacy policies and terms for providers in Firefox.
- You should verify any information you get from AI chatbots. AI chatbots are powered by generative AI which, in basic terms, predicts likely text or images based on prompts. It’s not designed or guaranteed to provide definitive facts. More about how AI chatbots work at a high level.
- Some chatbots are more privacy-respecting than others. To learn more about protecting your privacy when you use chatbots, follow these helpful tips from the Mozilla Foundation.
Learn about chatbot providers
For up-to-date information about each chatbot and what it offers, each provider’s website is the best place to look. Most chatbots are experimental and frequently change how they work, how they look, and what they offer.
Also, most chatbots allow you to change different settings, such as whether your chats and information are shared with the provider. Be sure to explore these settings when using a chatbot.
| Key features | Privacy policy and terms of use you agree to, when using the provider | |
|---|---|---|
| Anthropic Claude |
| |
| ChatGPT |
| |
| Google Gemini |
| |
| HuggingChat |
| |
| Le Chat Mistral |
|
How to select a chatbot provider in the sidebar
Select the sparkle button from the sidebar. Select a chatbot provider to see more details about it. Select continue when you’re ready to choose. Remember, you can change providers anytime.
How to change chatbot providers
You can switch chatbots at any time, as often as you’d like. For example, you may prefer to use one chatbot for help with writing tasks and another for generating images.
At the top of the sidebar, select the chatbot name. Then, you’ll see a dropdown with all available chatbots. Choose one to switch to.
How to remove the AI chatbot shortcut from your Firefox sidebar
In the sidebar, choose the settings button . In the Customize sidebar panel, uncheck the AI chatbot box in the Firefox tools section. If you want to use it again later, check the box again and follow the steps to select a provider.
Select text to see suggested prompts
Prompts are the instructions you provide to the chatbot, based on what you want it to do. We have pre-written a small number of prompts that are available when you select text.
You can access the prompts either:
- When you select text and right click.
- Through a shortcut that appears when you select text. (You can hide the shortcut if you want.)
If you choose a prompt, Firefox sends it plus the selected text and page title, to the chatbot you’ve chosen.
Each suggested prompt starts with this sentence, where information in [brackets] pulls in based on the page you’re on and your selection. “I’m on page [name of page you’re on] with [text you’ve selected] selected.” The rest of the prompts are as follows.
| Summarize | Please summarize the selection using precise and concise language. Use headers and bulleted lists in the summary, to make it scannable. Maintain the meaning and factual accuracy. |
| Explain this | Please explain the key concepts in this selection, using simple words. Also, use examples. |
| Quiz me | Please quiz me on this selection. Ask me a variety of types of questions, for example multiple choice, true or false, and short answer. Wait for my response before moving on to the next question. |
How to hide the shortcut
There are two ways to hide the shortcut. One way is to select text and then choose Hide chatbot shortcut.
You can also select the more menu from the AI chatbot panel and select Hide shortcut when selecting text.
How AI chatbots work
AI chatbots are powered by technology that can generate text and images, called generative AI – also referred to as “genAI”. This technology does not pull images and text from thin air. Instead, it is trained on massive amounts of data.
When you interact with generative AI, it uses the data it’s been trained on and then predicts likely textual responses or images. The data the model has been trained on, as well as the instructions you input into the chat interface (also called “prompts”), influence and guide what will be generated.
Generative AI predicts likely outputs – but it is not designed to and not guaranteed to provide definitive facts. It generates a result based on your prompts and the data that the AI has been trained on. You should consider carefully whether your prompt is providing the result that you are looking for.
To learn more about generative AI, countless resources are available online. Here are a few suggested starting points (content in English):
- Mozilla blog: How does AI actually work?
- Article: Writing effective prompts, from MIT Sloan Technology Services
- Video: Generative AI explained, from the University of Southern Australia
Frequently asked questions
What information does Firefox send to a provider, when I use their chatbot in the sidebar?
When you open the chatbot in the sidebar, the provider collects the same information as it would if you had visited the chatbot in a regular Firefox tab. If you select text on a webpage or PDF and choose to use one of the suggested prompts, we send your text selection, prompt and page title to the provider.
Are chatbots free to use?
Each chatbot provider we provide access to has a free option. Many also offer paid options. With the free option, use of the chatbot is often restricted in some way – for example, to a certain number of conversations per day, or in the amount and type of information you can share with the chatbot.
Can I trust the information chatbots provide?
AI predicts likely outputs – but it is not designed to and not guaranteed to provide definitive facts. It generates a result based on your prompts and the data that the AI has been trained on, and can make mistakes. You should verify any information you get from chatbots. Learn more about how AI chatbots work.
Some chatbots are not available in my region. Why can I still choose them?
Not all chatbots are available in all regions and locales. We have chosen to not limit choice by region, since the availability of these tools is often changing.
Can the chatbot provider see the conversations I’m having? What does it do with the conversations?
This varies based on the chatbot and, in some cases, the settings you choose for the chatbot. Some chatbots offer an ‘anonymous’ mode. Others offer a way to delete your conversations.
For more information about what each provider does with your conversation and data, check out their terms of service, privacy policies and websites.
Is it safe to share personal information with chatbots?
We do not recommend sharing personal information with chatbots.
Can Firefox see the conversations I’m having?
No. Firefox does not have any access to your conversations with the chatbot or any information about the webpages and selected text that you may send to the chatbot via AI shortcuts. As with other features, we do collect data on how the AI chatbot feature is used to help improve Firefox. For example, we collect interaction data such as how often each provider is chosen and how often suggested prompts are used. Learn more about the interaction and performance data Firefox collects, which we call telemetry.
How do I remove this from Firefox?
In the sidebar, choose the settings icon . In the Customize sidebar panel, uncheck the AI chatbot box in the Firefox tools section.
