As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly common in everyday software, LibreOffice is taking the opposite approach.
The open-source office suite has made a clear decision not to include built-in AI features for the foreseeable future. The Document Foundation, the nonprofit organization behind LibreOffice, says the decision is less about rejecting AI altogether and more about protecting user privacy, data control, and the software’s offline-first philosophy.
LibreOffice Doesn’t Want Your Documents Leaving Your Device
In a recent blog post, the Document Foundation said it currently has no plans to integrate AI directly into LibreOffice.
The organization reinforced the position shortly after releasing LibreOffice 26.8, stating that the latest version contains no generative AI features.
According to the foundation, this is an intentional design choice. LibreOffice can operate without requiring a network connection, meaning users don’t have to send their documents to remote servers simply to use the software.
That distinction can be especially important for organizations handling sensitive information.
Companies, government agencies, law firms, and other organizations may need to know exactly where confidential or legally protected documents are processed. Keeping the information on the user’s own machine provides a much simpler answer.
AI Is Still an Option — Just Not Built In
LibreOffice isn’t completely closing the door on artificial intelligence.
Users who want AI functionality can install extensions that connect LibreOffice with locally running AI models or other external services.
The difference is that AI remains an optional addition rather than becoming part of the standard LibreOffice installation.
The Document Foundation says its current requirements for integrating AI include keeping user data on the device and avoiding dependence on a single AI provider. At present, it says no integration satisfies all of those requirements.
That could change as local AI models and privacy-focused technologies improve.
A Different Approach From the Rest of the Software Industry
LibreOffice’s position stands out at a time when software companies are adding AI assistants, chatbots, writing tools, image generators, and other AI-powered features to almost every type of application.
In many cases, these features require information to be uploaded to a company’s servers for processing. Users may have limited control over where that information is stored, how long it remains there, or how it is handled.
Critics have increasingly described the trend as software becoming unnecessarily bloated with AI features that users never requested.
Some developers have even started creating tools specifically designed to disable or remove AI functionality from popular applications.
LibreOffice is effectively taking that philosophy a step further by choosing not to include generative AI in its default installation in the first place.
“No AI” Is Now Part of the Product
The Document Foundation isn’t describing its position as a permanent rejection of artificial intelligence.
Instead, it says the decision reflects the current state of the technology and its own requirements for privacy, independence, and user control.
For now, LibreOffice users can expect the standard software installation to remain AI-free, while extensions provide an option for people who want to experiment with AI.
As AI becomes increasingly embedded in mainstream software, LibreOffice is betting that having less technology can sometimes be a feature in itself—particularly when that means keeping sensitive documents offline and giving users greater control over their data.
