Choosing Humanity First In Browsing

Vivaldi has emphatically confirmed that it will not integrate artificial intelligence tools into its core web browser experience. Jon von Tetzchner, the company's chief executive, made the position unequivocal: AI-driven chatbots, summarisation engines or form‐filling suggestion tools will not be added“until more rigorous ways to do those things are available”. He cautioned that such features risk turning active browsing into passive consumption, transforming users into spectators rather than explorers of the web.

Scholars and industry observers have noted broader concerns that underpin Vivaldi's stance. Accuracy, ethics, environmental sustainability and content ownership surfaced as key issues that large language models still struggle to address effectively. Vivaldi's refusal to incorporate AI, for now, is receiving recognition as a principled alternative amidst a surge of AI‐enabled browsing features from competitors.

At the same time, Vivaldi continues to enhance its platform through features grounded in autonomy, customisation and privacy. Its latest desktop update includes a native integration of Proton VPN, enabling users to enjoy encrypted and tracker-free browsing without additional installs. The browser remains aligned with the needs of power users via deep customisation-tab stacking, workspace control, flexible themes-while upholding strong privacy protections and integrated productivity tools such as mail clients, feed readers and notes.

Vivaldi's deliberate choice to eschew AI places it in sharp contrast with browsers like Edge and Chrome, which are embedding generative assistants, summarisation tools and predictive features that reshape how users interact with web content. Von Tetzchner highlighted that these AI tools may undermine content creators-by surfacing summaries instead of compelling users to click through, they risk draining traffic from blogs and journalistic outlets.

Despite the industry push, Vivaldi insists that active engagement and discovery must remain central to browsing.“We choose humans over hype,” the CEO declared, contending that enforcing AI features erodes curiosity and diminishes the diversity of the web. The company rejects the notion of force‐fed AI, equating it with surveillance algorithms that decide what users see rather than letting them explore organically.

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