OpenAI’s Atlas Browser Directly Challenges Google Chrome

On Tuesday, OpenAI unveiled a new internet browser known as Atlas, designed to work seamlessly with ChatGPT. Atlas features a sidebar where users can pose questions to ChatGPT about the web pages they explore. Additionally, it includes an AI agent capable of navigating and performing tasks on behalf of the user.

“AI offers a unique opportunity to redefine the browser experience,” OpenAI CEO Sam Altman stated during the Atlas announcement livestream. “While tabs were an innovation, there hasn’t been substantial browser advancement since then.”

Atlas enters the market as Silicon Valley competes to leverage generative AI for transforming web experiences. Google has similarly introduced numerous AI tools for its widely-used Chrome browser, including a “sparkle” button that activates its Gemini chatbot. Chrome continues to be the leading browser globally.

OpenAI has announced that the Atlas browser will be accessible starting today for global ChatGPT users on macOS. Windows and mobile versions are in development. Atlas is free to use, but its agent features are exclusively available to subscribers of OpenAI’s ChatGPT Plus or ChatGPT Pro plans.

OpenAI highlighted how Atlas can help users research vacations and other activities.

Courtesy of OpenAI

“We’ve implemented significant enhancements to search functionality on ChatGPT through Atlas,” Ryan O’Rouke, the lead designer for the browser, mentioned during the livestream. When users search for movie reviews in the Atlas search bar, a chatbot-style response will appear first, replacing the traditional list of blue links typically associated with Google searches.