Vivaldi says „no” to AI in browsers because artificial intelligence „turns exploration into passive consumption”

Microsoft is introducing Copilot to practically everything. It recently appeared in Excel, and has been available in the Edge browser for many months. Gemini AI in Google Chrome is heading in a similar direction to work as a user assistant in theory. Not all companies, however, want to follow this path, which is met with mixed reactions - from applause to skepticism.

Vivaldi doesn't want AI in its browser

Vivaldi is a niche web browser, created by Vivaldi Technologies. The app might actually gain more users because of the decision that was announced on the company's official blog. It was conveyed there that in the Vivaldi browser, we will not find artificial intelligence in any form, as it negatively affects one of the most important aspects of surfing the web, the "exploration."

Indeed, there have been reports suggesting that AI summaries lead to a drastic decrease in traffic on various websites. When it comes to games, this especially applies to sites with guides, because players immediately get the information on what to do at a certain stage of the game. They don't have to read a guide or watch a YouTube video with an explanation.

Therefore, Vivaldi made the decision in the statement:

"Your actions won't change anything anyway"

In theory, we could consider this move good from a marketing perspective, but the browser creators might be surprised by the mixed opinions. Many people on the r/technology subreddit and blog post left positive comments about Vivaldi browser, some even heard about it for the first time. However, not everyone shares this optimism.

For instance, user fdbryant3 stated that Vivaldi's decision won't change anything, and the company will change its mind on this matter within a maximum of five years anyway. This would mean that the company would have to adapt to new standards and, whether it likes it or not, implement an AI assistant.

The statement really hurt the fans, as one of them with ambassador status, showed. He noted that in recent days, Vivaldi has been building tension, suggesting the announcement of a revolutionary new feature in the browser. Instead, it was about a statement that was considered good, but still disappointing, considering the atmosphere built around it.

In the end, Vivaldi's post received a positive response, but it seems like only a major AI meltdown could stop the trend of putting artificial intelligence into everything, including web browsers.

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