- OpenAI plans to launch an AI-powered browser built on Chromium.
- The browser will integrate ChatGPT-like interactions, allowing tasks within the browser.
- OpenAI aims to compete with Google Chrome and access valuable user data.
- With 400M+ users, OpenAI’s browser could become a major player.
The competition between OpenAI and Google is getting more intense than ever before, and now it may be completely integrated into your default browser.
According to a recent report from Reuters, OpenAI is preparing to release its AI-powered web browser soon. When true, it is a bold move as it will directly hit Google Chrome, that currently dominates the browser market with well over 3 billion users worldwide.
While exact details remain scarce, it is stated that OpenAI browser will integrate ChatGPT-like interactions directly into the browsing experience. Rather than visiting multiple websites, users could get responses, undertake activities, or do research all within a single interface, and this will be provided with the help of generative AI.
Despite the AI objectives, the browser will reportedly be built on Chromium, the open-source base on which Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Opera run. It means that the user experience and the speed might be familiar to people already using Chrome, and this is a clever choice to reduce friction in the adoption process.
However, an integrated AI agent will be the selling point of OpenAI. Another is that it could include its new “Operator” assistant, which can do complex tasks in your stead. Imagine telling your browser to “Find me the best five smartwatches under $200 with heart rate monitoring built in,” and it can return the result without you having to visit one tab after another.
User data on Chrome is one of the major parts through which Google dominates the advertising world. OpenAI has an opportunity to access this treasure trove by releasing its browser that would generate revenue outside of the sales of subscriptions to its AI tools.
And since OpenAI has already attracted 400 million ChatGPT users to the platform, it has a community platform to promote this new browser. In case a part of them switches, the browser may soon become one of the five best browsers in the world and challenge the market positions of Chrome.
Here is the twist to it: Nick Turley, ChatGPT’s head of product, recently revealed that OpenAI would be interested in purchasing Chrome if Google were ever forced to sell it. While that scenario is very unlikely, it shows how serious OpenAI is as one of the major players in the browser domain.
