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

As AI companies, startups and others roll out their own web browsers that integrate AI services deeply into the web browsing experience, Mozilla’s Firefox is instead allowing its customers to swap their default search engine for an AI-powered search option in the browser they already use. The company Tuesday announced that it brings the Perplexity AI response engine to Firefox, allowing customers to decide whether they want to use AI to search the web and find new information.

Mozilla had previously announced it was testing the integration, but the option was only available in select markets, including the US, UK and Germany. It had not yet been determined whether Perplexity would become a permanent addition to Firefox’s list of web search engines, joining others such as Google, Bing, and DuckDuckGo.

Now the company says positive user feedback has prompted it to make Perplexity available to its global users on desktop. It will be released on mobile devices in the coming months.

Once enabled, Perplexity provides a conversational search experience where answers appear with quotes, as opposed to a list of web links, as with traditional Google search. The option appears in the unified search button in the address bar, allowing you to quickly switch to Perplexity search if necessary. Users can also configure their default search engine in Firefox settings.

Mozilla had previously said that if the Perplexity pilot was successful, it would look to add more AI answer engines or search options to its browser in the future. (It probably started with Perplexity because the company says it won’t share or sell users’ personal data.)

In addition to news about the AI ​​search option, Mozilla also noted that it is creating a browser profiles widely available to all users after months of testing and a gradual rollout. This function lets you switch between different browser settings, such as those for work, school or personal use.

Additionally, the company continues to test visual search with Google Lens among those who set Google as the default search engine on the desktop.