OpenAI is reportedly close to releasing a browser that could potentially take on Google LLC’s market dominance with its Chrome browser, several months after the company said that it would be interested in buying Chrome from Google.
According to Reuters, which references three unnamed people familiar with the matter, the browser is slated to be launched in the coming weeks and uses artificial intelligence to fundamentally change how consumers browse the web. Notably, the browser would also give OpenAI direct access to user data, which it could use to train its models.
The browser is expected to be built on Chromium, the open-source codebase that underpins Chrome and most other browsers except Firefox, but with AI tightly integrated into the user experience. The OpenAI browser is said to include a chat-style assistant that can perform complex tasks on behalf of the user, such as summarizing pages, autofilling forms, booking travel or completing online purchases, without requiring users to click through websites manually, instead of simply serving as a traditional interface for web navigation.
Where things could get particularly interesting is that the browser may include OpenAI’s Operator agent, which was introduced earlier this year. Operator is an agentic AI offering designed to handle multistep tasks across the web, allowing users to delegate responsibilities such as scheduling appointments or ordering food to an AI agent. Its inclusion could turn the browser into more than just a gateway to the internet versus a fully capable assistant embedded directly in the browsing environment.
The move could place OpenAI in direct competition with Google on multiple fronts, not only in search but also in advertising and data collection. Google relies heavily on user data harvested through Chrome to power its ad business, whereas a browser from OpenAI could shift how data is collected and how users engage with the web, potentially bypassing traditional search altogether. The shift could further accelerate the increasing trend toward agentic AI — task-based AI assistants replacing search queries.
OpenAI’s potential entry into the browser market may also signal broader ambitions to own the front-end interface that people use to interact with the web. The company already offers ChatGPT as a standalone application and it recently introduced memory features and plug-in ecosystems that suggest a push toward greater user lock-in. By launching a browser that brings all of these capabilities into one place, OpenAI could position itself as a one-stop AI operating system for everyday digital tasks.
The report that OpenAI is planning a browser comes after its smaller AI rival, the internet search-oriented Perplexity AI Inc., announced its own browser earlier today. The browser, called Comet, uses AI to automate manual tasks for users and includes Perplexity as the default option for search.
Image: News/Reve
Support our open free content by sharing and engaging with our content and community.
Join theCUBE Alumni Trust Network
Where Technology Leaders Connect, Share Intelligence & Create Opportunities
11.4k+
CUBE Alumni Network
C-level and Technical
Domain Experts
Connect with 11,413+ industry leaders from our network of tech and business leaders forming a unique trusted network effect.
News Media is a recognized leader in digital media innovation serving innovative audiences and brands, bringing together cutting-edge technology, influential content, strategic insights and real-time audience engagement. As the parent company of News, theCUBE Network, theCUBE Research, CUBE365, theCUBE AI and theCUBE SuperStudios — such as those established in Silicon Valley and the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) — News Media operates at the intersection of media, technology, and AI. .
Founded by tech visionaries John Furrier and Dave Vellante, News Media has built a powerful ecosystem of industry-leading digital media brands, with a reach of 15+ million elite tech professionals. The company’s new, proprietary theCUBE AI Video cloud is breaking ground in audience interaction, leveraging theCUBEai.com neural network to help technology companies make data-driven decisions and stay at the forefront of industry conversations.
