Interview Vivaldi has raised a middle finger to the influx of AI in the browser space with its latest version.
"Basically, what we are finding is that people hate AI," CEO Jon von Tetzchner tells The Register.
Von Tetzchner was talking to us as the company launched version 7.8 of its browser. The centerpiece of the release is a new tab tiling system that allows users to work with multiple pages simultaneously. There are also improvements to email and several quality-of-life tweaks that will please the browser's fans.
The company modestly says: "It's the biggest leap in browser multitasking since tabs were invented and it required zero machine learning models."
That's not to say that AI doesn't have limited uses, as far as Vivaldi is concerned. It's useful for translations and research. However, does it belong in the browser, potentially even taking action for the user? Von Tetzchner doesn't think so.
He reckons that AI in browsers is being used as a data collection tool – as a company, Vivaldi has made much of user privacy. Hence, the CEO said AI "is something that's being pushed on to people."
"In a lot of cases, it's really about... if you're a company and you're listed or have investors, AI is the thing that gets you money."
"I think it's important that someone speaks out about AI. Yes, it's an interesting technology that can be used for good things as well, but actually, quite a lot of the use is not helpful."
"I think all of us are tired of AI-generated content wherever we go."
Although Vivaldi has plenty of tools and settings to block unwanted content, such as ads and trackers, Von Tetzchner isn't about to kick off an arms race to filter out AI-generated content. "Trying to recognize AI and keep it out, I think that's an uphill struggle that typically involves using AI for that purpose."
"Users go where they want to go… but I would urge people to maybe go to different sites if certain sites they're going to are getting filled with AI. Maybe it's time to look at other things. Maybe it's an opportunity for new social media. Maybe it's a chance for the fediverse."
Is there an AI bubble? "We've seen this happen before," Von Tetzchner says, pointing to the blockchain and crypto obsessions of previous years, noting that companies reached huge valuations based on an unproven use case. According to Von Tetzchner, the current AI push is more about a fear of being left behind in a paradigm shift. "While in our case, we're just wondering, OK, what do our users want? What can we do that is useful? What's the best way to give our users what they want?"
"And if that isn't AI, we aren't going to put any AI in, and we haven't really seen the use for it."
Vivaldi is in an interesting position at the moment. It remains a small player – Von Tetzchner admits "we haven't grown to the size that we did with Opera," and measuring the company's market share is tricky given that it famously dispensed with putting its name into the User Agent string websites use to identify the client browser.
Part of the challenge now facing the company is translating a growing suspicion about US tech giants into installations of its browser. Several vendors have reported a shift away from US companies and expect it will accelerate over the next few years as lawmakers and enterprises alike ponder questions about sovereignty and a stricter regulatory regime.
"We're definitely seeing that," says Von Tetzchner, "there's discussions, there's people making choices... The fact that the EU is discussing preferring European software... that's a big deal." ®
Source: The register