OpenAI is growing its personal AI-powered net browser constructed on Google’s Chromium platform, aiming to problem Google Chrome’s dominance and disrupt its ad-based income mannequin.
| Photograph Credit score:
Dado Ruvic/Reuters
OpenAI is near releasing an AI-powered net browser that can problem Alphabet’s market-dominating Google Chrome, three folks conversant in the matter advised Reuters. The browser is slated to launch within the coming weeks, three of the folks mentioned, and goals to make use of synthetic intelligence to essentially change how shoppers browse the net. It’ll give OpenAI extra direct entry to a cornerstone of Google’s success: consumer information. If adopted by the five hundred million weekly energetic customers of ChatGPT, OpenAI’s browser might put stress on a key element of rival Google’s ad-money spigot. Chrome is a crucial pillar of Alphabet’s advert enterprise, which makes up practically three-quarters of its income, as Chrome gives consumer data to assist Alphabet goal advertisements extra successfully and profitably, and likewise offers Google a solution to route search site visitors to its personal engine by default.
OpenAI’s browser is designed to maintain some consumer interactions inside a ChatGPT-like native chat interface as an alternative of clicking by way of to web sites, two of the sources mentioned.
The browser is a part of a broader technique by OpenAI to weave its companies throughout the private and work lives of shoppers, one of many sources mentioned.
OpenAI declined to remark.
The sources declined to be recognized as a result of they don’t seem to be licensed to talk publicly on the matter. Led by entrepreneur Sam Altman, OpenAI upended the tech trade with the launch of its AI chatbot ChatGPT in late 2022. After its preliminary success, OpenAI has confronted stiff competitors from rivals together with Google and startup Anthropic, and is searching for new areas of progress. In Might, OpenAI mentioned it might enter the {hardware} area, paying $6.5 billion to purchase io, an AI gadgets startup from Apple’s former design chief, Jony Ive. An online browser would enable OpenAI to immediately combine its AI agent merchandise comparable to Operator into the searching expertise, enabling the browser to hold out duties on behalf of the consumer, the folks mentioned.
The browser’s entry to a consumer’s net exercise would make it the perfect platform for AI “brokers” that may take actions on their behalf, like reserving reservations or filling out kinds, immediately inside the web sites they use.
TOUGH COMPETITION
OpenAI has its work reduce out – Google Chrome, which is utilized by greater than 3 billion folks, presently holds greater than two-thirds of the worldwide browser market, in keeping with net analytics agency StatCounter. Apple’s second-place Safari lags far behind with a 16% share. Final month, OpenAI mentioned it had 3 million paying enterprise customers for ChatGPT.
Perplexity, which has a preferred AI search engine, launched an AI browser, Comet, on Wednesday, able to performing actions on a consumer’s behalf. Two different AI startups, The Browser Firm and Courageous, have launched AI-powered browsers able to searching and summarizing the web. Chrome’s function in offering consumer data to assist Alphabet goal advertisements extra successfully and profitably has confirmed so profitable that the Division of Justice has demanded its divestiture after a U.S. decide final 12 months dominated that the Google dad or mum holds an illegal monopoly in on-line search.
OpenAI’s browser is constructed atop Chromium, Google’s personal open-source browser code, two of the sources mentioned. Chromium is the supply code for Google Chrome, in addition to many competing browsers together with Microsoft’s Edge and Opera.
Final 12 months, OpenAI employed two longtime Google vice presidents who have been a part of the unique crew that developed Google Chrome. The Data was first to report their hires and that OpenAI beforehand thought of constructing a browser. An OpenAI govt testified in April that the corporate can be fascinated about shopping for Chrome if antitrust enforcers succeeded in forcing the sale.
Google has not provided Chrome on the market. The corporate has mentioned it plans to enchantment the ruling that it holds a monopoly.
OpenAI determined to construct its personal browser, moderately than merely a “plug-in” on high of one other firm’s browser, so as to have extra management over the info it could accumulate, one supply mentioned.
Revealed on July 10, 2025
