Mozilla recently introduced a new feature in its Firefox web browser with the recent version 141.0 update, allowing users to automatically organise similar tabs into groups and generate suggested names for them using a locally installed AI model. While intended as a convenience, the addition has drawn backlash from some users.
Several posts on Reddit over the past few days have reported unusually high CPU and power usage after installing the update. One user claimed that a new “Inference” process could spike from just 0.05 percent to “130 percent” CPU usage. This has led to criticism from users who consider the feature unnecessary bloat for a task they feel doesn’t require AI.
Mozilla developers have acknowledged the problem in a bug report, labelling it “abnormal CPU spikes” that should not occur under normal circumstances. The company explained that the AI tab grouping tool is experimental and being rolled out progressively. The inference process runs entirely on the user’s machine, and Mozilla noted that the system can still misidentify groups or suggest inaccurate names.
The bug report adds that Mozilla is working on a fix for the performance issue. In the meantime, those affected can disable the AI tab grouping feature through Firefox’s settings menu.
(Source: Techspot)
