Jon von Tetzchner, head of the Norwegian company Vivaldi Technologies, which develops the browser of the same name, shared his thoughts on integrating AI into browsers. In von Tetzchner’s view, the industry’s attempts to merge AI models with web browsing have gone too far.
At present, Google, Microsoft, Mozilla, Perplexity, and other major companies are actively working on integrating AI models into their browsers, while AI companies without their own browsers, such as Anthropic and OpenAI, are testing integration through extensions or developing their own products.
Although infosec specialists warn about numerous security issues (1, 2, 3) that this approach entails, businesses still encourage interacting with AI via prompts, where users type or speak natural-language commands to direct the AI model built into the browser to perform certain actions on their behalf.
In his post, Vivaldi’s CEO emphasized that the company categorically refuses to use generative AI in the browser, and once again reaffirmed the concerns voiced last year by Vivaldi developer Julien Picalausa.
Von Tetzchner writes that using generative AI for web browsing dehumanizes and impoverishes the internet, redirecting traffic from publishers to chatbots.
“All of this turns the address bar into yet another prompt for an assistant, reducing the joy of exploration to passive observation. We are taking a firm stand, choosing people over hype, and we will not turn the joy of exploration into passive observation. Without exploration, the internet becomes far less interesting. Our curiosity is starved of oxygen, and the web’s diversity dies,” writes the founder of Vivaldi.
In a conversation with journalists from The Register, von Tetzchner noted that almost all the users he talks to do not want to see AI in their browser.
“I’m not sure this is applicable to the general public, but I think most people are wary of something that’s constantly looking over their shoulder. And many systems, given how they’re built today, do exactly that. The reason these systems are implemented is to collect information,” he says.
According to von Tetzchner, AI in browsers poses the same problem as social media algorithms that decide what people see based on collected data. However, the Vivaldi developers want users to control their own data and decide what they see.
“We want users to have full control,” says von Tetzchner. “If people want to use such AI services, they are easily accessible without being built into the browser. I believe the concept of embedding them in the browser serves the purpose of data collection. And that’s not what we do as a company, and we don’t think the web should be like that.”
At the same time, the head of Vivaldi emphasizes that he doesn’t consider the use of AI wrong in all cases, since even Vivaldi uses it for built-in translation. However, he believes that using AI specifically for internet use and browsing is harmful and has a “purely negative effect.”
Von Tetzchner also told reporters that a few months ago, as a courtesy, he took a call from representatives of Perplexity, but the conversation led nowhere. “It was perfectly clear that our interests are completely different,” he says. “We’re not going for an IPO. We don’t have investors pressuring us and saying, ‘Hey, you need to use something new because it will get you higher valuations.’”
“We will stay true to our identity, giving users full control and allowing them to use the browser alongside any tools of their choice. Our goal is to build a powerful, personal, and private browser, so you can explore the internet on your own terms. We won’t turn browsing into passive consumption. We’re fighting for a better web,” von Tetzchner concluded.