OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, is quietly preparing to launch its own AI-powered web browser. It could shake up the $100B+ search and ad industry — and Google’s grip on it.
According to sources close to the matter, the new browser is expected to launch within weeks. Unlike traditional browsers, it will deeply integrate OpenAI’s own AI agent, “Operator,” designed to handle tasks for users — like filling forms or booking services — directly inside websites.
This comes just after Perplexity launched its own AI browser, Comet, and amid growing competition from startups like The Browser Company and Brave. But OpenAI, with its 400 million ChatGPT users and a $6.5 billion hardware push earlier this year, may be the most serious contender yet.
Key Takeaways:
- Browser launch in weeks: OpenAI is entering the browser race with an AI-native approach.
- Integrated AI agent: “Operator” may perform tasks on behalf of users.
- Challenge to Google Chrome: Chrome feeds Google’s ad empire; OpenAI wants that power.
- User data strategy: OpenAI seeks more direct access to web activity for product development.
- Built on Chromium: Despite challenging Chrome, OpenAI’s browser shares its open-source roots.
If OpenAI succeeds in attracting even a slice of Chrome’s 3+ billion users, it could reshape how we access and interact with the internet. The browser will reportedly keep some interactions within a ChatGPT-style interface — reducing the need to click through to websites at all.
This strategy gives OpenAI a new edge: deeper access to web behavior data without going through Google. It’s a long-term play to weave AI into everyday browsing, rather than treating it as an add-on.
Google, which has faced regulatory pressure over its browser dominance, now faces a formidable new rival. And with former Google Chrome engineers now at OpenAI, the upcoming browser could be the most AI-native internet experience we’ve seen.