OpenAI set to launch AI-powered browser to challenge Google Chrome

The browser is expected to debut in the coming weeks and will integrate AI to “fundamentally change how consumers browse the web”. By introducing a native ChatGPT-like interface, the browser will reduce the need to navigate external websites, keeping user interactions within its own ecosystem.

“If adopted by the 500 million weekly users of ChatGPT, the browser could pressure a key pillar of Google’s ad business,” one source said. Google Chrome currently provides Alphabet with critical user data for targeted advertising — a revenue stream that made up nearly three-quarters of the company’s income.

The browser is part of OpenAI’s broader strategy to embed its services into users’ everyday routines. A person familiar with the project noted the tool is designed to allow AI agents like Operator to perform tasks such as booking reservations or filling forms directly on websites.

Built on Chromium — Google’s open-source browser base — the product follows OpenAI’s recruitment of two former Google executives who were involved in Chrome’s original development. While OpenAI declined to comment, an executive testified in April the company would be interested in acquiring Chrome if antitrust rulings forced its divestiture.

In May, OpenAI expanded into hardware with a $6.5 billion acquisition of startup io, led by former Apple designer Jony Ive.

Earlier, it was reported that Meta Platforms, the U.S.-based technology company led by Mark Zuckerberg, had hired four prominent AI researchers from OpenAI, underscoring the intensifying competition in the global tech industry.