...aren't they like at risk of disappearing since their google search deal is being called into question?
If Mozilla must throw money at AI, this is the way to go... I guess. Ente is trying to build a Google Photos replacement that translates image contents into searchable text while being fully end to end encrypted (read: as private as it gets), after all. Ente also allows you to fully self-host, so you can get these benefits without even trusting their servers.
Out of the $65 million Mozilla has committed to throwing at for-profit and AI companies (that's roughly 9.4 Mitchell Baker Salaries), $100,000 is a drop in the bucket, only 1.44% of the size of a Mitchell Baker Salary.
I remain skeptical about Mozilla's commitment to "open source AI models" when I haven't seen a single blob of AI data released that is reproducible or open source. They are black boxes, and black boxes so closed that not even the people that created them could tell you what's inside of them (unless we count the blood, sweat, and tears of the underpaid workers behind it).
Full disclosure: I am a paying Ente subscriber
I’ve been hoping for a photo project like that—I use a photo storage service that’s e2e but it’s a pain to look through the photos
Ente and Immich are both projects like that, they're both trying to be drop-in replacements for Google Photos. Immich requires you to self-host, and Ente makes it an option that doesn't make it look too daunting.
The pricing is weird: Immich (like other FUTO sponsored projects) has a WinRAR-style license that requires you to pay them for hosting an instance, but only once, and you can technically ignore it. Ente, meanwhile, allows you to use their apps with third-party instances without charging for the privilege.
I would definitely recommend checking out either. I held out for a long time, because I thought image hosting might not be useful (and because deleting local photos is still a bit of a crapshoot, both backup-wise and functionality-wise) but it turns out to be pretty nifty.
