LibreOffice is drawing a line around artificial intelligence. The Document Foundation, the nonprofit software maker behind LibreOffice, says the office suite will not add AI features for the foreseeable future. That decision centers on user data control and security rather than a blanket rejection of the technology.
The latest version of LibreOffice arrived in late August 2026 with no generative AI features. That matters because the software is used by tens of millions of people and organizations, making its default settings a practical statement about how office tools should handle AI.
LibreOffice’s position leaves room for experimentation, but keeps that experimentation outside the standard installation. Users can install software extensions that connect the document editor to local AI models if they want AI tools without waiting for LibreOffice to add them directly.
A Pause, Not a Permanent Ban
The distinction is important. LibreOffice does not reject AI out of hand; it says there is currently no integration that meets all of its requirements for AI features. Until one does, the project will keep AI out of the default software rather than ship a feature simply because the market expects one.
The project stated its position plainly: “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.”
That approach gives LibreOffice a clear boundary between the software it maintains and tools users choose to add. The default installation remains free of AI, while extensions provide a path for users who want to connect the editor to local models. Nobody gets an assistant quietly inserted into the toolbar and dressed up as progress.
Why the Default Matters
Keeping AI out of the default installation also keeps the decision visible. Users know what they receive when they install LibreOffice, and the project can evaluate AI integrations against its own requirements instead of treating inclusion as inevitable.
The criteria are not a definitive rejection of AI. They are an assessment of the technology today, based on whether an integration satisfies LibreOffice’s requirements for user data control and security. That leaves the door open, but it removes the pressure to walk through it before the project is ready.
For users who want AI, extensions connected to local AI models offer the available route. The arrangement places the choice with the user and makes the added capability separate from the core software, rather than making AI part of the default experience for everyone.
LibreOffice’s latest release therefore sends two messages at once. It says AI is not acceptable in the default installation under present conditions, and it says users should still be free to explore the technology through extensions.
That is a narrower policy than a permanent ban and a stricter policy than adding AI because competitors have done so. The Document Foundation will monitor where the technology is heading, but for now its software makes restraint a feature — one that arrives without a chatbot attached.
As of October 6, 2026, LibreOffice has no AI of any kind in its default installation. Its users can choose local-model extensions, while the project waits for an integration that meets all of its requirements.
