Mozilla, the global nonprofit software development organization known for the Firefox browser, has released its annual “State of Mozilla” report. But instead of presenting it in the usual and boring PDF format, it has launched “Choose your future”, a bizarre digital campaign that is an invitation to society to regain control over the future of the internet and artificial intelligence.
Devised by the creative collective Basement Freaks, the surreal proposal posits the entity’s different products as livery and open alternatives to the “black box” systems and the so-called “walled gardens” that both the internet and AI have become. In a market dominated by large multinationals with increasingly opaque and closed ecosystems, Mozilla invites you to trust its proposal and support the development of a more democratic online environment.
Faced with a model that is further concentrating power in the hands of a few, Mozilla claims to have a different future in mind. “LThe decisions we must make to achieve it are clear“, he points out on a website created for the initiative. “We choose humanity: we need technology that fuels creativity and fiercely protects privacy. We choose collective power: we need to lean on open source and community. We chose a different economic model: a “double bottom line”, advancing our mission and shaping markets”.
To convey these ideas he has created a series of pieces, directed by Hugh Mulhern from the production company Object & Animal. With them, in addition to making a declaration of principles and intentions, he recreates the two scenarios that he advances in his report. Thus, it presents the future A with a video in which, as a thriller, it presents a controlling and vigilant AI.
In other pieces, for example, he exposes how the “black box” systems created by the big players in artificial intelligence are compromising consumer trust. Mozilla is committed to combining surreal images and disturbing narratives to talk about the future of the online ecosystem that are reminiscent of the popular series “Black Mirror” and dilute the borders between advertising communication and digital activism.
In contrast, it also exposes a scenario in which the development of technology is collaborative, open, creative, and in which people’s ideas are what define the future, not corporations. Mozilla is running to build that scenario. “Twenty-five years ago, the global open source community rewrote the rules of the Internet. Mozilla was part of it. Together, we demonstrated that an open, values-based approach to technology could succeed, not only morally, but also in the marketplace. “We can do it again with AI”they explain from the organization.
The “State of Mozilla” report is also a reminder of Mozilla’s manifesto, as well as a display of its strategy and the areas in which it is acting to work towards the open future it proposes. It highlights the different products it has developed over the years and its roadmap to what is to come.
Thus, its plan for 2026 is articulated in four main points: investing in AI of public interest and charitable activities; improve its core products in performance, privacy and interoperability; create trusted AI experiences to push the boundaries of useful and respectful AI; and expand the open source AI ecosystem.
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