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After Google Search: could Mozilla switch Firefox to AI search?

Mozilla is in predicament currently. The organization that is behind the Firefox web browser makes most of its revenue from a search deal with Google. The advertising giant pays Mozilla hundreds of million of Dollar each year to stay the default search engine for hundreds of million of Firefox users.

This search deal, along with Google's search deal with Apple, is now part of a major legal battle in the United States. While Google could face a break up of the company in the worst case, with Chrome one of the top applications to be split from Google, Mozilla could also find itself on the receiving end.

There is the possibility that Google is blocked by the court from making further agreements with third-parties to make Google Search the default. Mozilla, in that case, would have to find a replacement.

Problem is, there are not that many, at least not when you look just at traditional search engines. Microsoft with its Bing search engine is likely the only company with enough resources to make a deal with Mozilla. It would mean less money, likely, as Microsoft bid less than Google in the past already. With Google out, Microsoft would not have to worry too much about that anymore.

AI Search is rising

Perplexity AI Search

Traditional search engines like Google Search or Bing, existed for decades without much competition. If you wanted to look up information, you fired up Google or Bing, typed in a question, phrase, or word, and browsed the resulting webpages to hopefully find the information. Or, if you started your search from a browser, you would simply type in the address bar to redirect the prompt to the default search engine or another one installed in the browser.

The rise of AI and AI-based search threatens the traditional search model. Broken down to the core, this new type of search does not return a list of webpages ranked by secretive algorithms. These new search engines return information as text. The data comes from billions of websites and the sites do get a link if they are cited, but the searcher gets a direct response to the search query.

AI based search engines threaten the organic search model. They could capture a large percentage of the search market in the coming years, which threatens Google's main business model, but could also lead to new opportunities for organizations like Mozilla.

Mozilla did, in fact, test the integration of Perplexit AI search in Firefox recently. Apple revealed plans to integrate AI search engines into Safari as well this month.

Mozilla could, in theory at least, broker a deal with an AI search engine to replace Google Search. Most AI based search companies may not have sufficient financial resources to broker such a deal, but major organizations, like OpenAI or Perplexity, might.

The global AI search market is expected to reach 108 billion USD by 2032 according to an industry report by Coherent Market Insights.

Such a change would change search fundamentally in the browser. It would also raise questions, especially about privacy and transparency. Mozilla would need to take these into account to avoid severe backlash from the community.

Closing Words

Mozilla continues to diversify its income streams, but even though it has made progress in the past couple of years, more than 80 percent of revenue still comes from its search engine deal with Google.

Mozilla is trying out new options. The Perplexity test in Firefox shows that. Users remained in control, as Mozilla did display a prompt that they could simply dismiss if they had no interest in trying out the AI based search engine. Firefox users have options to set a custom search engine as well.

Now You: what would you suggest Mozilla should do if Google is prevented from renewing the search deal with the organization? Are AI based search engines an option? Feel free to leave a comment down below.

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