LibreOffice Says 'No AI' Is Now a Software Feature

According to TechCrunch, the developers behind the open-source document editor LibreOffice have said they do not intend to add AI features to the software's default configuration. The stated reason is user privacy: rather than route document content to outside models, the default install stays deliberately plain.

Just as notable is the framing. LibreOffice describes the lack of AI as a software feature rather than a missing capability. At a moment when competitors are weaving generative assistants into everyday editing, that counter-positioning is itself a clear product statement.

From a privacy standpoint, keeping AI out of the default setup means users do not have to switch anything off first. By default, documents are not uploaded or handed to model providers for processing — a safe-by-default posture that matters to individuals and institutions handling sensitive material.

The decision runs against the current direction of the office-software market. Many productivity suites now treat generative features as headline upgrades woven through writing, spreadsheets, and presentations, so AI has shifted from an add-on to part of the default experience.

LibreOffice's choice is therefore an argument about defaults. When AI is everywhere, offering a version without it is a form of differentiation — and it hands the choice back to the user.

What to watch next: whether other open-source projects adopt the same stance, whether LibreOffice later offers AI as an optional add-on rather than a default component, and whether a no-AI position can hold up both commercially and within its community.