OpenAI launches AI browser Atlas in latest challenge to Google

OpenAI on Tuesday unveiled ChatGPT Atlas, a long-anticipated artificial intelligence-powered web browser built around its popular chatbot, in a direct challenge to Google Chrome’s dominance.

The launch marks OpenAI’s latest move to capitalize on 800 million weekly active ChatGPT users, as it expands into more aspects of users’ online lives by collecting data about consumers’ browser behavior. It could accelerate a broader shift toward AI-driven search, as users increasingly turn to conversational tools that synthesize information instead of relying on traditional keyword-based results from Google — intensifying competition between

Shares of Alphabet which owns the Chrome browser, were down 1.8% in afternoon trading.

Reuters earlier reported on OpenAI’s planned browser launch. It is the latest entrant in a crowded field of AI browsers, which includes Perplexity’s Comet, Brave Browser and Opera’s Neon, as companies race to weave in tools that can summarize pages, fill out forms and draft code to attract users.

Atlas lets users open a ChatGPT sidebar in any window to summarize content, compare products or analyze data from any site. In “agent mode,” now available to paid users, ChatGPT can interact with websites on their behalf — completing tasks from start to finish, such as researching and shopping for a trip.

In a demo on Tuesday, OpenAI developers showcased how ChatGPT could find an online recipe and then automatically purchase all the ingredients. The agent navigated to the Instacart website and added the necessary groceries to the cart — a task that took several minutes to complete.

The browser is now available globally on Apple’s macOS. Versions for Windows, iOS and Android will be released later.
Led by Sam Altman, OpenAI upended the tech industry with the launch of ChatGPT in late 2022. Following its initial success, the company has faced stiff competition from Google and startup Anthropic and has been seeking new areas of growth.

Google, meanwhile, has been developing ways to adapt to shifting search behaviors since ChatGPT’s debut. Depending on the query, each Google search result can now display an AI overview, or AI Mode, alongside traditional links, offering a chatbot-like experience.

Last month, Google integrated its Gemini AI model into Chrome for U.S. users, with plans to bring Gemini to the iOS Chrome app as well.