Mozilla updates Firefox Smart Window with web sources and tab help

In short: Mozilla has updated Firefox’s Smart Window beta so its built-in AI chat can use current web information with source links, and it can better organize and search what you have already browsed.

What happened

Mozilla said that starting today, AI chats in Firefox’s Smart Window mode can pull in up to date information from the web and include source links in its replies. This is done through a partnership with Exa, a company that helps find and cite web pages.

Smart Window also has new tools for managing tabs, which are the open pages at the top of your browser. It can now suggest tab groups automatically and spot duplicates, like having a helpful assistant that puts similar papers into folders and tosses out extra copies.

Another update changes how you search your browsing history. You can now type a normal sentence, like “running shoes I looked at last week,” and Smart Window can show visual previews of pages you visited before. Mozilla showed a demo where it pulled up images from previously visited sites to help the user find the right page.

Mozilla says the feature is still optional and in beta, which means it is a test version. Ajit Varma, Mozilla’s head of Firefox, told The Verge there is no exact date yet for when Smart Window will leave beta.

Why it matters

Many people lose track of what they were researching online, especially with lots of tabs open. These updates aim to make the browser better at finding and organizing your own past browsing, and to make AI answers easier to double check by showing where the information came from.

Source: The Verge AI