OpenAI challenges Google, close to launching an AI-powered browser

OpenAI is close to releasing an AI-powered browser to challenge Google Chrome, which currently dominates the market. Reuters reported this, having spoken to sources familiar with the situation. The browser, a software that allows users to browse the web, is expected to launch in the coming weeks and aims to use AI to change the way users navigate online. This will give OpenAI more direct access to one of the pillars of Google's success: user data.

If adopted by ChatGpt's 500 million weekly active users, OpenAI's program could put pressure on a key component of rival Google's advertising revenue system. Chrome is a key pillar of Alphabet's advertising business, accounting for nearly three-quarters of its revenue, and provides user information to help the company target ads. OpenAI's browser, Reuters reports online, is designed to keep some user interactions within a ChatGpt-like interface, rather than having to click through to websites. The news outlet also claims the browser would allow OpenAI to integrate its AI agents, like Operator, directly into the browsing experience, allowing the program to perform tasks on the user's behalf.

The new feature comes amidst fierce competition. Google Chrome, used by over 3 billion people, currently holds over two-thirds of the global browser market, according to analytics firm StatCounter.

Apple's Safari is in second place, trailing far behind with a 16% share. And Perplexity, an AI-powered search engine company, is gaining ground: it recently launched an AI-powered browser called Comet that can perform actions on a user's behalf.