LibreOffice says ‘no AI’ is now a software feature

The Document Foundation, the nonprofit behind the open source document editor LibreOffice, said in a blog post this week that it "will not add" AI to its software for the foreseeable future. The organization said it does not reject AI outright but described the position as an assessment of the technology today rather than a judgement on the value of the sector.

The post followed the release of the latest LibreOffice version in late August, when the nonprofit reiterated that the software "contains no generative AI features." LibreOffice described that as a "deliberate design position" so users' documents are not uploaded to a server for processing, and said no part of the software requires a network connection to function. The organization said its software is used by tens of millions of people and organizations, and that users should retain control over their data.

"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 said.

LibreOffice said users can still choose to use AI tools by installing extensions that connect the editor to local AI models. It said there is currently "no integration" meeting all of its requirements, including keeping user data on the device and avoiding reliance on a single AI provider. The organization said its criteria are not a "definitive rejection."

"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," LibreOffice's blog post said.