Mozilla has published its latest State of Mozilla report alongside a film campaign that calls for a different approach to how AI is developed and governed. The report covers Mozilla’s plans for investing in open-source AI and public-interest technology, while urging users and developers to take a more active role in shaping how AI fits into everyday digital life.
The report argues that current AI development is increasingly concentrated among a small group of large technology companies. Mozilla offers up its own approach as an alternative, focused on openness, decentralization, and individual choice. The organization sees this as a continuation of its earlier efforts around the open web.
The State of Mozilla also provides updates on both Firefox and Thunderbird, which remain its best known products. These will continue to receive investment alongside newer initiatives tied to AI and privacy-preserving technologies.
A key part of the report is Mozilla’s investment strategy through 2026, with plans to allocate more than $650 million across open-source AI infrastructure, mission-driven startups, and tools designed to counter market concentration. This is part of a longer-term strategy.
State of Mozilla and AI
“AI isn’t inevitable — the choices we make about it are,” Mozilla President Mark Surman said. “We’re at a fork in the road. We can let a handful of companies define how AI shapes the internet and society, or we can build something different: open, decentralized, and grounded in human agency.”
The report organizes Mozilla’s strategy into a number of guiding ideas. One centers on user choice, including the option to limit or avoid AI-driven features altogether. Another focuses on what Mozilla calls a double bottom line, combining revenue generation with public-interest goals.
The third is for community-driven development, supporting developers, researchers, artists, and advocates working outside dominant AI models.
Alongside the written report, Mozilla has launched a six-part film campaign. These short films explore differing emotional responses to technology, from optimism to caution, focused on how AI influences daily life. Mozilla plans to distribute the films through digital advertising and social platforms.
The State of Mozilla includes a detailed breakdown of how funds are distributed across the organization’s nonprofit and commercial entities.
Investments cover areas such as open-source tooling, privacy-focused infrastructure, and consumer software. There are also new ventures which it hopes will challenge monopoly power within the tech sector.
Looking ahead, the report previews several initiatives expected to roll out this year, including AI tools designed around user control, expanded funding for open-source developers, and partnerships focused on decentralized AI systems.
Community involvement is a recurring theme in the report. As Surman notes, “If you choose to say no to AI, we respect that — and we build products that make that choice possible,” he said.
State of Mozilla is designed to be both a progress update and a call to action. You can view the site for it here.
What do you think about Mozilla’s approach to AI and open technology? Let us know in the comments.
