Vivaldi deliberately chooses not to include AI in its browser.
Unlike other tech giants, the Norwegian company Vivaldi is not focusing on AI, and even prohibits it in its browser. “There is a constant push for AI in products and services,” writes Vivaldi CEO Jon Von Tetzchner in a blog post. “We prefer people over the hype.”
‘AI Results in Fewer Clicks’
According to Tetzchner, browsers with AI risk turning users into passive spectators. He argues that AI summaries cause people to click through to original sources less often. As a result, creators, journalists, and small sites lose visitors and revenue. Research from Pew Research shows that users click half as often when an AI overview appears above search results. The company is also strongly opposed to forced AI.
At the same time, he believes that machine learning definitely has its uses and can lead to useful features. He tells The Register that in his opinion, the way it’s being used on the internet is wrong. “Most people I talk to don’t want AI in their browser at all.”
The goal is to build the best possible web browser.
Jon Von Tetzchner (via The Register)
For Curiosity and Control
Vivaldi promises not to transform its browser into an AI assistant that thinks for you. The browser should become a “haven for people who still want to discover things themselves and value autonomy.” “Only when AI contributes to that,” Tetzchner writes, “without stealing ownership or compromising privacy, will it be used in the browser.”
Google, Microsoft, Opera and other companies continuously equip their products or browsers with AI features. Virtually every business presentation in recent years has had to mention AI, and it’s at least refreshing to read that someone thinks differently.
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