OpenAI Launches AI-Powered Browser to Compete With Google Chrome
OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, has launched a new artificial intelligence-powered web browser called ChatGPT Atlas, in a bold move to challenge industry giants such as Google, which dominates the market with Chrome.
Unveiled on Tuesday, ChatGPT Atlas is initially available for Apple’s macOS and is designed around OpenAI’s flagship chatbot rather than the traditional web address bar. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman described it as a browser “built around ChatGPT,” aiming to create a more interactive, conversational web experience.
The launch marks OpenAI’s latest push to diversify its offerings and monetise its growing AI ecosystem. The browser will feature a paid “Agent Mode”, available exclusively to ChatGPT Plus subscribers, allowing users to delegate online searches and other browsing tasks to the AI. The company says this feature enables the chatbot to “work with your browsing context” to deliver faster and more relevant results.
OpenAI has also been forging new partnerships to strengthen its position in the online services space. Recent collaborations include Etsy, Shopify, Expedia, and Booking.com, allowing users to complete transactions and bookings directly through ChatGPT.
At the company’s DevDay event earlier this month, Altman revealed that ChatGPT now has 800 million weekly active users, doubling from 400 million in February, according to analytics firm Demandsage.
Industry experts say Atlas could attract early adopters eager to experiment with AI-powered browsing, though it may struggle to unseat established browsers. Pat Moorhead, CEO and chief analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy, noted: “Early adopters will likely test OpenAI’s browser, but mainstream and corporate users may stick with Chrome or Microsoft Edge until similar AI capabilities are fully integrated there.”
Microsoft, a major OpenAI investor, has already incorporated similar AI tools into its Edge browser, offering comparable functionality.
OpenAI’s browser debut comes amid heightened scrutiny of Google’s market dominance. Just a year ago, a U.S. court found Google guilty of maintaining an illegal monopoly in online search, though the ruling stopped short of forcing the company to divest its Chrome browser.
The launch also reflects a broader shift in how people find information online. Research firm Datos reported that as of July, nearly 6% of desktop searches were conducted through large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT – more than double the rate from a year earlier.
Meanwhile, Google continues to double down on AI, enhancing its search engine to include AI-generated answers and personalised recommendations, setting the stage for what could become a major reshaping of the online search landscape.
