Firefox's latest AI integration in the 141.x version sparks controversy with users reporting excessive CPU usage and power surges
In a recent update, Firefox version 141 introduced an AI-enhanced tab groups feature. However, this innovative addition has been causing some issues for users, leading to high CPU usage and instability.
The AI model, which runs fully on-device for privacy, is resource-intensive. The "Inference" process, a part of this feature, continuously operates in the background. This process analyzes open tabs to group them and suggest names. Due to poor optimization or its always-on behavior, it repeatedly uses excessive CPU resources.
The result? Power spikes, rapid battery drain, increased fan noise, and sometimes browser crashes when the process is forcibly stopped. User reports on Reddit and monitoring tools show this process causes performance degradation and battery life reduction.
Terminating the Inference process causes Firefox instability, indicating tight integration and a lack of graceful disabling.
For those experiencing these issues, there is a solution. Users can manage or disable the AI tab groups feature by accessing Firefox’s advanced configuration via . Search for and change the preference associated with Smart Tab Grouping to to disable the AI-enhanced tab grouping feature.
Mozilla is aware of the issue and is working on updates to better optimize or fix the feature. As it is currently rolling out progressively and still subject to refinement, users are encouraged to wait for these improvements.
Tom's Hardware is following Firefox updates related to the AI-enhanced tab groups issue. For those interested, they encourage readers to follow them on Google News for updates on the issue.
The AI-enhanced tab groups feature is part of a progressive rollout, meaning it has not been switched on for a wider audience yet. Firefox v141.x was released on July 22.
Stay tuned for more updates as Mozilla works to improve the AI-enhanced tab groups feature and address the CPU and power spikes it has been causing.
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