Firefox's Smart Window adds AI web search

Mozilla expanded Smart Window, Firefox’s built-in AI assistant, with three new features: web search powered by Exa that shows sources inline instead of redirecting to a results page, automatic tab grouping with duplicate detection, and a visual history browser that lets users find past pages by appearance rather than title or URL. The assistant runs inside the browser interface itself rather than as a separate extension.

Smart Window stays opt-in and disabled by default, and Firefox’s AI Controls let users pick their preferred model or turn the feature off entirely. Mozilla says it uses zero-data-retention agreements with the AI providers it works with, including Google, OpenAI, and Alibaba, plus support for running local models. The update is dated August 18 and remains beta, limited to English-language users in the US and Canada.

What it means for you

If you’ve held off on AI browser features because you don’t want an always-on assistant reading every tab by default, Smart Window’s opt-in design is the more cautious model to watch, similar in spirit to Google letting users toggle its AI watermark rather than forcing a single default. It’s still US/Canada beta only, so don’t plan a workflow around it yet if you’re outside those markets, but the Exa-powered search-with-citations approach is worth testing against whatever AI search tool you currently use for research tasks. It’s a different bet than Meta’s new screen-sharing Mac AI app, which leans toward always-visible assistance rather than an opt-in layer.