Tech companies vying for supremacy in artificial intelligence are determined to transform the way people search the web, challenging the dominance of the Chrome browser, the heart of Google’s empire.
Chatbots, which began as AI-powered assistants, have gradually merged with web browsers and can independently scan the internet to provide detailed responses.
OpenAI launched the latest attack this week with the debut of what its CEO Sam Altman called an AI-powered web browser built around ChatGPT.
During a demo, OpenAI team members had the Atlas browser put together a shopping list for a dinner party based on a specific dish and the number of guests.
Atlas joins Perplexity’s Comet, Microsoft’s Edge with Copilot, and newcomers Dia and Neon in this new generation of chatbot-browser hybrids.
“So many services and applications are browser-based that it makes a lot of sense to have an AI agent acting in the browser,” said Avi Greengart, principal analyst at Techsponential.
While early AI assistants simply returned responses, the focus has shifted toward allowing them to act as “agents,” independently handling tasks on the computer or online, such as setting schedules, making reservations, or ordering pizza.
Now, AI creators are eager to usurp the role of the browser and simplify users’ interactions with the web.
“We used to download a lot of applications on our computers,” said Evan Schlossman, principal at SuRo Capital. “You don’t download as many programs anymore; things are moving toward the browser.”
“I think they don’t want to change the core experience too much,” Greengart said. “An AI agent following you around and offering help every time you do something probably isn’t right for everyone.”
Google is in control
Despite its prowess when it comes to AI, Google still hasn’t gone all-in on agent features in Chrome comparable to those touted by its competitors.
The internet giant has added AI summaries that provide results from online queries, and offers the option to use an “AI Mode” for searches with advanced reasoning capabilities.
Chrome currently represents more than 70% of the browser market and the Google name has become synonymous with search.
Futurum Group CEO Daniel Newman doesn’t see that changing anytime soon, given how deeply embedded Chrome usage is in modern lifestyles.
But Thomas Thiele, a partner at consulting firm Arthur D. Little, said OpenAI could gain an advantage by combining what it learns from people’s ChatGPT exchanges with the Atlas browser.
“By gathering this information, you can have more clues about people than ever before,” Thiele explained. “We would have at least a high probability of seeing the birth of a new Google here.”
More knowledge about people can translate into better targeting of online ads, Google’s main source of revenue.
Defining tomorrow
By taking control of the browser, an AI company could define how people will interact with technology in the future, Thiele reasoned.
“In the long term, the browser is not necessarily where everything happens,” Newman said, noting that smart glasses or other wearable devices for interacting with the Internet could gain popularity.
“We are shaping behavior; winning where users are currently will be crucial for that long-term market share that everyone is fighting for,” he said.
