Four months into 2026, a GeekWire contributor declared victory over the creeping spread of large language models in daily tools. No regrets. No productivity dip. Just cleaner code, sharper focus, and a stubborn refusal to chat with machines. The author, covering Pacific Northwest video games and arts, audited their stack after AI summaries ruined YouTube and LinkedIn posts turned robotic. Result: a full swap to alternatives that sidestep generative AI entirely. GeekWire detailed the shift, starting with browsers.

Chrome? Ditched for its Gemini nag. Vivaldi took over—low RAM, privacy-first, handles most sites without quirks derailing work. Dark active tabs annoy, sure. But no forced AI prompts. Firefox felt sluggish; Mozilla’s CEO had teased AI features anyway, as TechCrunch reported. Waterfox, a fork, stepped in as secondary: familiar interface, patched privacy holes, zero AI bloat. Extensions like Google AI Mode Remover helped in a pinch, available on the Chrome Web Store .

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