LibreOffice Declares Absence of AI a Core Software Feature

The nonprofit organization behind LibreOffice, The Document Foundation, has officially stated that the absence of artificial intelligence is now considered a feature of its document editor. In a recent blog post, the group clarified that while it does not outright dismiss AI technology, it has no plans to integrate such capabilities into the software in the near future.

This announcement follows the late August release of the latest LibreOffice version, which explicitly noted the omission of generative AI tools. At that time, the foundation described this as a deliberate design choice intended to guarantee that user documents are never uploaded to external servers for processing and that the application functions without any network connectivity.

Highlighting that tens of millions of individuals and organizations rely on the platform, the foundation emphasized the importance of data autonomy. “Any organisation handling confidential, legally privileged or personal data needs to know where that data goes, and the only assurance that survives an audit is that it does not leave the machine,” the organization wrote.

While the default installation will remain free of AI, the foundation noted that users retain the flexibility to install extensions connecting the editor to local AI models. Currently, however, there is no existing integration that satisfies their stringent criteria, which include keeping data on-device and avoiding dependence on a single AI provider.

LibreOffice’s stance contrasts with the prevailing industry trend of embedding AI features into software, a practice some critics describe as contributing to the “enshittification” of modern applications through bloatware like chatbots. This backlash has spurred other developers to offer options for blocking or removing AI components from their products.

The foundation stressed that the current decision is an assessment of the technology as it stands today rather than a moral judgment on the AI sector. “Until then, there will be no AI of any kind in the default installation; extensions will be available for those who wish to integrate AI features, and we will closely monitor where the technology is actually heading,” the blog post concluded.

LibreOffice remains a prominent alternative to proprietary software from major tech companies, appealing to users seeking to reduce reliance on Silicon Valley giants and surveillance-heavy platforms.