Mozilla Firefox has introduced an experimental feature in its latest nightly builds that allows users to access AI-generated summaries of web pages before visiting them. This feature aims to save time by giving a preview of content without requiring a click.
The AI summaries are generated locally on the user’s device, which enhances privacy since no personal data is sent to external servers. However, this localized processing can result in slower performance. In testing, using a low-power laptop, the previews took longer to appear, and at times, it would have been quicker to visit the link directly.
The AI summaries come with a warning about potential inaccuracies, noting that key points may not always capture the essence of the content, lacking nuance and originality. For instance, summaries generated from the author’s own work resulted in vague and often incorrect key points.
How to Enable AI Link Previews in Firefox
To try out the AI link previews, users can activate the feature in the following steps (this is currently only available in a nightly build of Firefox 139):
- Open a new tab and go to
about:config. - Accept the prompt to proceed.
- Search for
browser.ml.linkPreview.enabled. - Change the value to
true.
Once activated, users can hover over a web link while holding down the Shift and Alt keys to view the preview, which might include a description, an image preview, and a three-point AI-generated summary for content. However, note that the reliability can vary, and the feature currently supports only English links.
While Mozilla is investing in AI-driven features to enhance user experience, the current implementation is experimental and may face issues like parsing errors and slower processing speeds. As development continues, improvements in reliability and speed are expected.
Overall, while the feature may not be perfect yet, it holds potential for future enhancements.
For more information on this feature, you can check out the experimental link preview feature and how Mozilla is integrating AI into its products here.