Firefox users report high CPU and memory usage in the latest release, caused by browser’s on-device AI inferencing for its ‘smart tab grouping’ feature.
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/08/firefox-high-cpu-usage-inference-disable
#mozilla #firefox #opensource
I don’t want AI in my browser. I’ve been a consistent Firefox user for years but this might make me switch to a fork.
Under about:config, browser.tabs.groups.smart you can disable it.
Thanks for reminding me to do this.
I don’t really want to have to keep checking the release notes for new AI bullshit, though.
There’s an option labeled Use AI to suggest tabs and a name for tab groups.
On 141 it’s listed in Settings under the General => Tabs section.
It changes browser.tabs.groups.smart.userEnabled.
Looking at it further, either option will disable it. Here’s the code that checks both values, https://github.com/mozilla-firefox/firefox/blob/FIREFOX-ANDROID_141_0_3_RELEASE/browser/components/tabbrowser/content/tabgroup-menu.js#L481
…for now.
That is the standard playbook:
- Introduce unpopular feature
- Defend it by saying there is an option in preferences to disable it
- Later hide the option in some obscure config instead
- Finally, remove the option to disable it
what have they removed so far?
there used to be a more accessible toggle in settings for that. why tf would they take that out?
To keep most users from disabling it. Just like why the don’t make it opt in.
Also everything that starts with “browser.ml.chat”.
@omgubuntu@floss.social Who the hell needs AI to group tabs? It’s so absurd!
This is why we can’t have nice things.@omgubuntu@floss.social Yay. More AI crap to turn off. Just what we needed. Thanks, Mozilla.
@omgubuntu@floss.social what is mozilla supposed to do? Inferencing is resource intensive by nature. Doing this in the cloud and users would complain about privacy. Not doing it at all and users would complain about Firefox feeling old and complicated
@omgubuntu@floss.social I can’t wait for this bubble to pop. The suspense is killing me.
Here’s the bug: https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1982278#c4
It does not appear to be caused by smart tab grouping (which you also have to actively enable yourself).
it was enabled for me and I just took it off. I ever enabled it so it must be default to have it on.
If by “enabled” you mean you saw a button “Suggest more of my tabs”, then I believe that is present by default, but I believe it only downloads the model when you actually press that button for the first time. At least it did for me.
It’s possible that I’m misunderstanding what it does otherwise though. Still, does not appear to have been the cause of this particular issue.
nope. literally says “Use AI to suggest tabs and a name for tab groups” and the slider was activated and I flipped it to off. Never saw a download but when it updates firefox either has to be closed or it restarts.
Weird, I don’t even see a slider! Perhaps we’re in different testing groups or something.
im on linux and using what I think is bog standard firefox with a few addons.
Same! But I think people are just randomly sorted in buckets to see how some experiments land.
I am on an lts kernel (ubuntu) to. not sure if that would make a difference.
@omgubuntu@floss.social Thankls, not noticed AI sneaked in. because i have the sidebar removed. AI and other sidebar stuff disabled in settings. And… remove doffcourse that useless annoying sidebar again.
Yeah it’s been incredibly slow in macOS and Linux. Bitwarden has also been slow but I’m not sure if it’s FF that’s causing it. It’s slowly becoming a bloated mess.
True, Bitwarden adon have been buggy in the last few days.
@omgubuntu@floss.social #SwitchToLibrewolf
I didn’t realize it was out. I’m guessing it’s a phased rollout with windows users being first in the test group? None of my linux machines have it enabled by default.
@omgubuntu@floss.social Odd, this was disabled by default on mine. I had already started to wonder if they’d find a new way to cause grief.
@omgubuntu@floss.social THANK YOU! The last update made Firefox unusable even on my fairly capable desktop but I hadn’t figured out why.
@omgubuntu@floss.social I can only recommend switching to Firefox ESR. It’s the same old Firefox, but without the monthly brain farts.
@omgubuntu@floss.social Fucking Mozilla, man!
@omgubuntu@floss.social So good I’ve moved to Vivaldi recently 😌
#Vivaldi
