Mozilla’s Firefox introduces Perplexity’s AI-powered answer engine as an additional search choice

As various AI firms, startups, and others introduce their own browsers that deeply integrate AI features into the browsing process, Mozilla’s Firefox is taking a different approach by letting users replace their default search engine with an AI-driven search tool within the browser they already use. On Tuesday, Mozilla revealed it is adding the AI answer engine Perplexity to Firefox, giving users the choice to utilize AI for web searches and discovering information.

Mozilla had previously shared that it was experimenting with this integration, though initially it was limited to certain regions such as the U.S., U.K., and Germany. At that time, it was still undecided whether Perplexity would become a permanent fixture among Firefox’s search engine options, which include Google, Bing, and DuckDuckGo.

Now, Mozilla says that strong user responses have led to Perplexity’s global rollout for desktop users, with plans to extend to mobile platforms in the coming months.

When activated, Perplexity delivers a conversational search interface where responses are accompanied by references, rather than just a list of links as seen with Google’s standard search. This feature will be accessible through the unified search button in the address bar, allowing users to easily switch to Perplexity for their searches. Additionally, users can set their preferred search engine in Firefox’s settings.

Mozilla had previously mentioned that if the Perplexity trial proved effective, it would consider introducing more AI-powered search engines or answer tools to Firefox in the future. (Perplexity was likely chosen first because it pledges not to sell or share users’ personal information.)

In addition to the AI search update, Mozilla announced that browser profiles are now widely available to all users after a period of testing and phased release. This functionality enables users to switch between different browser environments, such as those for work, school, or personal browsing.

Additionally, Mozilla is still experimenting with visual search using Google Lens for users who have set Google as their default search engine on desktop.