Case Study: Firefox delivers cited AI search in the browser with Exa

Firefox powers AI search with Exa’s 1.4 trillion-URL index

Firefox, Mozilla's open-source web browser, faced the challenge of integrating AI search summaries directly into its browser without compromising its core values of transparency, privacy, and user trust. The main hurdles included overcoming the staleness of an LLM's training data, the need for verifiable citations, and a strict requirement for a zero-data-retention policy on user queries. They partnered with the vendor Exa to find a solution.

The solution was implemented using Exa's search API as the information layer behind Firefox's new AI features. Exa provided real-time retrieval from the live web, delivering answers with inline citations for features like Smart Window on desktop and Quick Answers on iOS. As a result, Firefox users worldwide now receive trustworthy, verifiable AI summaries. Exa met all critical requirements, including a globally-sourced index and a zero data retention policy that aligned with Firefox's privacy values.

Firefox