Mozilla’s Firefox adds Perplexity’s AI answer engine as a new search option

While AI companies, startups, and others are rolling out their own web browsers that embed AI services deep into the web surfing experience, Mozilla’s Firefox instead lets customers swap out their default search engine for the AI-powered search options in the browser they already use. The company announced Tuesday that it is bringing its AI answer engine Perplexity to Firefox, allowing customers to decide whether to use AI to search the web and discover new information.

Mozilla previously announced it was testing the integration, but the option was only available in some markets, including the US, UK, and Germany. It has yet to be determined whether Perplexity will be permanently added to Firefox’s list of web search providers, alongside Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, and others.

Now, the company says Perplexity is now available to users around the world on their desktops due to positive feedback from users. It will also be coming to mobile devices in the coming months.

Enabling Perplexity provides a conversational search experience where answers are displayed with citations rather than a list of web links like in Google’s traditional search. This option appears in the integrated search button in the address bar, allowing you to quickly switch to searching using Perplexity if needed. Users can also configure their default search provider in Firefox settings.

Mozilla has previously said that if the Perplexity pilot is successful, it would consider adding more AI response engines and search options to the browser in the future. (It probably started with Perplexity, since the company says it doesn’t share or sell users’ personal data.)

Along with the news of the AI ​​search option, Mozilla also said it is making browser profiles broadly available to all users after months of testing and a gradual rollout. This feature allows you to switch between different browser settings, such as for work, school, and personal use.

Additionally, the company continues to test visual search using Google Lens for users who have set Google as their default search provider on their desktop.