Mozilla details upcoming Firefox updates with AI features, built-in VPN, Split View, and mascot Kit

Mozilla has laid out its next batch of Firefox changes, with Firefox 149 set to bring a free built-in VPN, Split View, and Tab Notes starting March 24, while its optional Smart Window AI feature remains behind a waitlist for now.

The company is also giving Firefox a slight visual refresh and introducing a new mascot called Kit. The announcement notes that Kit will show up inside the browser, on Mozilla’s website, and across social media and marketing.

Essentially, it seems like Mozilla is trying to make Firefox feel busier, more useful, and a bit more distinct at a time when every browser maker is talking up AI. The difference here, at least on paper, is that Mozilla keeps stressing choice. Smart Window is opt-in, and Firefox 148 already added AI controls in Settings so users can manage or shut off AI-enhanced features.

The biggest practical addition is probably the built-in VPN. Mozilla says it will route browser traffic through a proxy to hide a user’s IP address and location, with 50GB of monthly data at launch for users in the US, France, Germany, and the UK. It is scheduled to arrive in Firefox 149 on March 24.

Split View is rolling out on the same date, letting users place two webpages side by side in one window. Tab Notes is also coming through Firefox Labs in version 149, which sounds less flashy, but could be handy for people juggling research, shopping comparisons, or just too many tabs.

Smart Window, previously called AI Window, is a little more tentative. Mozilla says it can surface quick definitions, summaries, and product comparisons without sending users off-page, but early access is still gated behind a waitlist.

Then there’s Kit.

Mozilla describes Kit as a “companion” rather than a chatbot or AI assistant, and goes out of its way to say the character was created by people, not generated by AI. That alone is notable, especially since the company is clearly trying to thread a very specific needle here: talk about AI, ship some AI, but not let Firefox start looking like yet another browser turning itself into an assistant.

That said, the company says updated themes, icons, toolbar tweaks, menu refinements, and homepage changes are on the way, with more to be shared soon.

These announcements came right after the company removed the fox from its logo on social media platforms, garnering a lot of attention, after which they brought the fox back. So maybe, just maybe, it was a neat little trick to get people curious about what’s going to change.

We stand out from the tech-media crowd because we break news stories; we mainly bring you stuff that you won’t find anywhere in the mainstream tech media. Our stories have been picked up by some of the world’s most popular websites and media outlets—more info is available here.