‘Going too far without user consent’: Mozilla blasts Microsoft’s AI creep as user backlash forces Copilot to be scaled back

• Mozilla has criticized Microsoft’s Copilot practices
• Microsoft has faced complaints over forcing its AI onto users
• It’s now decided to scale back Copilot in its apps

If you’re a long-time Windows user, you might have noticed Microsoft’s not-so-subtle attempts to shoehorn its Copilot artificial intelligence (AI) into pretty much every app possible on your PC. Copilot in Notepad? Check. In Widgets? You bet. In the Snipping Tool? Of course.

But all that unreasonable AI-ification has led to repeated user backlash, and it seems that Microsoft has finally cottoned on by scaling back machine learning features in a selection of its own apps. And for Firefox maker Mozilla, that move is long overdue.

Writing on the company’s official blog, Linda Griffin, Mozilla’s Vice President of Global Policy, said that “Rolling back these forced AI integrations is the right move, but this is just the most recent example of Microsoft going too far without user consent.”

Griffin characterized Microsoft’s Copilot expansion as forceful and done “with no prompt and no consent,” noting that users were not asked if they wanted their apps to be outfitted with AI features.

And Griffin was blunt about Microsoft’s motivations, saying that “When Microsoft says it now wants to be ‘intentional’ about Copilot, they’re really admitting that they made repeated choices to serve their business over their customers.”

‘Deceptive’ moves

Griffin argued that embedding AI inside its apps was part of a “pattern of deceptive design patterns” from Microsoft.

Research commissioned by Mozilla has found that “Microsoft uses design and distribution tactics to override user choice,” such as the Windows search bar opening Edge and not your web browser of choice, the lack of a device migration system in Microsoft’s operating system, and the convoluted path users must take if they want to select a new default browser.

In contrast, Mozilla says it’s doing things differently. Its own built-in browser AI can be disabled using a single kill switch, something that was implemented after vocal user feedback. Griffin says this is part of Mozilla’s way of thinking regarding AI: “You should decide whether AI is part of your browsing experience at all. Not Big Tech. Not Mozilla. You.”

Griffin also contrasted Mozilla’s approach against Microsoft’s in another way, saying: “And critically, your preferences also persist across browser updates, which means AI tools won’t silently re-enable themselves after a major upgrade. No reinstalling. No opting out again after the fact.”

There’s no doubt that Microsoft has come in for plenty of criticism over the aggressive way it has rolled out Copilot across its apps, and its hand has been forced by users in other areas too.

With the company deciding to change course after facing strong complaints, it’s hard not to agree with much of what Mozilla’s Griffin has said.

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