OpenAI is nearing the release of a new web browser powered by artificial intelligence, one which, according to three people with knowledge of the project, is expected to challenge the dominance of Google Chrome. The browser, due in the coming weeks, is intended to reshape the habits of internet users by drawing on AI not simply to aid browsing, but to replace large parts of it altogether. In doing so, it would allow OpenAI to gain more immediate access to the source of Google’s strength: the behaviour and preferences of its users.
If ChatGPT’s current audience, roughly 500 million weekly, takes to this new tool, it may begin to undercut one of Google’s most profitable assets. Chrome does not merely serve as a window to the internet; it quietly collects information about those who use it, sending it back to feed the machinery of advertisement that makes up the bulk of Google’s income. The browser also nudges users toward Google’s own search engine, reinforcing its grip on web traffic.
A Conversational Interface Designed for Everyday Use
Two of the sources said the new browser would keep users within a conversational interface rather than directing them out to separate websites. This is not a mere convenience. It is a sign of intent, part of a wider plan to fold OpenAI’s tools into the daily routines of people at work and at home, and to make the act of browsing itself something quieter, more guided, and more controlled. OpenAI declined to comment.
The people who are conversant with the issue refused to be mentioned on the basis that they were not authorized to talk freely. OpenAI, led by Sam Altman, made waves in the technology industry when it released ChatGPT towards the end of 2022. Its initial success however came with new pressures. Rivals, such as Google and Anthropic, have since acted swiftly, leaving OpenAI to find new territory to expand into. In May, the company said it was planning to enter the hardware business, reserving 6.5 billion dollars to purchase io, a company developing AI devices, founded by Jony Ive, former head of design at Apple.
Turning the Browser Into an Intelligent Digital Assistant
A browser, as understood by people familiar with the plan, would be a logical extension of the current products of OpenAI, integrating tools such as Operator into the process of browsing, such that the machine can act in place of the user. Such a browser would know what people were doing online, so it would provide a natural platform to so-called AI agents programs that would perform tasks like booking appointments or filling in online forms, not in a separate window, but within the sites themselves. In that regard, the browser is not only a device to locate information, but a device constructed to behave in the digital world as a human being.
Facing Chrome’s Market Supremacy and AI Rivals
OpenAI faces a steep climb. Google Chrome, used by more than three billion people, commands over two-thirds of the global browser market, according to figures from StatCounter. Apple’s Safari holds second place, but with only a fraction of the share, roughly 16 percent. Last month, OpenAI reported three million businesses paying to use ChatGPT. Meanwhile, Perplexity, a firm known for its AI search tool, announced a new browser, called Comet, on Wednesday. It is said to carry out tasks on the user’s behalf. Two other firms, Brave and The Browser Company, have also introduced browsers that use AI to scan and condense what is found online.
Chrome has become so central to Alphabet’s advertising system, gathering user data and targeting it with precision, that the U.S. Department of Justice has sought to break it apart. A federal judge ruled last year that Google’s parent company held an illegal monopoly over online search. OpenAI’s browser, according to two people familiar with the project, is built on Chromium, the same open-source code used by Chrome, as well as by Microsoft Edge and Opera. In a twist of irony, OpenAI’s effort to compete with Google rests on the very foundation Google created.
Strategic Hires and Chromium Code Signal Long-Term Intent
Last year, OpenAI brought on two former Google vice presidents, both of whom had worked on the early development of Chrome. Their arrival, first noted by The Information, confirmed that OpenAI had long weighed the idea of building its own browser. In testimony given this April, an OpenAI executive said the company might consider purchasing Chrome, should regulators succeed in forcing Google to sell it.
Google has made no offer to sell the browser. The company has stated that it will challenge the ruling which found it guilty of holding a monopoly. According to one person familiar with the matter, OpenAI chose to develop a full browser rather than rely on a plug-in model, so that it could gain greater control over what user data it collects and how it is used.
Final Words
OpenAI is basically leveraging the blueprints of the tech giant to create its own downfall by using the same Chromium base that Google is using. It is the online version of climbing over your neighbor fence with his ladder. The irony is even deeper: as Google is under antitrust investigation due to its browser monopoly, OpenAI is trying to market itself as the underdog, even though it has the slingshot of the enormous ChatGPT user base. The question is whether people will accept an AI that does not simply assist them in browsing but does it on their behalf, and the answer is the billion-dollar question. In case of success, OpenAI will not only be competing with Chrome, but it will be defining what browsing is all about. It appears that the internet will soon become a lot more conversational.
