OpenAI to Launch AI-Powered Web Browser, Taking Direct Aim at Google Chrome

Key Takeaways:

• OpenAI is preparing to release an AI-powered web browser that could rival Google Chrome and reshape how people browse online.

• The browser will integrate ChatGPT-like features and enable AI agents to act on users’ behalf—marking a step beyond traditional search.

• If widely adopted, the browser could erode Chrome’s role in Google’s advertising pipeline by capturing valuable user data.

• The new browser is built on Chromium and follows OpenAI’s broader push to integrate AI across devices, services, and consumer workflows.

• Chrome’s dominance in the market is currently under antitrust scrutiny by the U.S. Department of Justice, adding pressure from multiple fronts.

OpenAI Targets Chrome with AI-Native Web Browser

OpenAI is preparing to release a new AI-powered web browser in the coming weeks, aiming to directly challenge Google Chrome’s dominant position in the global browser market, according to three sources with knowledge of the plans, who spoke to Reuters.

The browser will combine traditional web access with native AI agentic capabilities, using a ChatGPT-style interface to handle user requests, perform online tasks, and potentially keep some user interactions within the app—bypassing the need to click through to external websites.

Crucially, it would also give OpenAI more direct access to user data—a cornerstone of Google’s dominance and a key driver of its advertising success. Browsers collect rich behavioral data—including search queries, browsing history, click patterns, location, and device details—which can be used to profile users, target ads, and train AI models. For companies like OpenAI and Google, this data is a strategic asset—powering both commercial products and core AI development.

While OpenAI has not commented publicly on the project, insiders say the product is part of a larger strategy to extend OpenAI’s services into daily consumer and business activity. The company is seeking to position itself not only as a platform for information but as an active digital assistant capable of executing web-based actions.

Threat to Google’s Ad Business Model

OpenAI’s browser could pose a significant threat to Alphabet’s core ad business by undercutting Chrome’s critical role in collecting user data and directing traffic to Google Search. Chrome is currently used by more than 3 billion people worldwide and accounts for over two-thirds of global browser usage which plays a central part in Alphabet’s ability to target advertising. That scale gives Google a powerful advantage in search traffic and user profiling—advantages OpenAI is now directly targeting.

If OpenAI can convert a meaningful portion of its 500 million weekly ChatGPT users into browser users, it could claim a share of that data stream—disrupting the model that underpins nearly three-quarters of Alphabet’s revenue.

This shift comes amid rising regulatory pressure. The U.S. Department of Justice has accused Google of operating an illegal monopoly in online search, in part because of its control over web traffic via Chrome. A judge has already ruled that the company holds an unlawful monopoly, and regulators have floated the possibility of forcing Alphabet to divest Chrome.

In a related moment of corporate positioning, an OpenAI executive testified in April that the company would be interested in purchasing Chrome if it were ever put up for sale.

Browser Will Support AI Agent Integration

Sources say the upcoming browser is designed not just to display websites, but to actively perform tasks for users—such as booking reservations, filling out forms, or answering questions in context—without requiring them to leave the AI chat interface.

These features are expected to be powered by Operator, OpenAI’s developing AI agent technology, and could represent one of the first major integrations of such agents into everyday web use.

By building the browser on Chromium—Google’s open-source browser code—OpenAI gains compatibility with existing web standards while maintaining control over interface and data collection. Other browsers like Microsoft Edge and Opera also run on Chromium. One source told Reuters that OpenAI opted to build a standalone browser, rather than a plug-in for an existing one, in order to gain more direct control over the user data it collects.

Two of the sources noted that OpenAI hired two longtime Google vice presidents who worked on the original Chrome team, further underscoring the company’s long-term interest in the browser market.

Competitive Landscape Heats Up

OpenAI enters a browser market that has already seen movement from other AI-first companies. Perplexity, a fast-growing AI search startup, just launched its own browser, Comet, which can execute user instructions and summarize content. The Browser Company and Brave have also released AI-native browsers.

Despite this competition, none of these companies yet match OpenAI’s reach or integration depth. OpenAI reported 3 million paying business users for ChatGPT as of last month, and with its multimodal capabilities expanding and new models like GPT-4o powering user interactions, a native browser could serve as a unifying platform for its broader AI ecosystem.

The browser also builds on OpenAI’s $6.5 billion acquisition of io, an AI hardware startup led by former Apple design chief Jony Ive, suggesting deeper ambitions in consumer-facing technology.

Fast Facts for AI Readers

Q: What is OpenAI’s new product?

A: An AI-powered web browser that blends standard browsing with ChatGPT-like capabilities and task automation.

Q: Why is it significant?

A: It could challenge Google Chrome’s dominance, shift how people use the web, and disrupt Google’s ad-targeting model.

Q: What powers the browser?

A: It’s built on Chromium, the same open-source code base as Chrome, but will have its own AI-native interface and agent tools.

Q: What actions can it perform?

A: The browser may book reservations, fill forms, and answer queries inside the interface—without always navigating to external sites.

Q: Who else is building AI browsers?

A: Perplexity (Comet), Brave, and The Browser Company all offer AI-enabled alternatives, but OpenAI’s scale makes it a major new entrant.

What This Means

OpenAI’s upcoming browser could redefine the power dynamics of the internet. Until now, Google has maintained dominance not just through search, but through control of the web’s primary access point: Chrome. That browser funnels billions of data points and search queries back to Google, reinforcing its advertising and market power.

By creating its own AI-native browser, OpenAI is not just building a product — it's challenging Google on the foundational infrastructure of the web. If users adopt the browser in significant numbers, OpenAI could sidestep traditional web flows and insert AI agents as the default interface for online activity. That would allow OpenAI to own the data, shape the user journey, and mediate access to information — roles long held by Google.

It also signals a shift in how AI companies see themselves: no longer as plugins or assistants within someone else’s platform, but as end-to-end service providers with their own operating layers. The browser is not just another app — it’s a bid to control the gateway to the internet.

For regulators, advertisers, and platform rivals, the implications are clear: the competition for user data and web access is no longer theoretical. It’s now a direct and escalating platform war for data.

Editor’s Note: This article was created by Alicia Shapiro, CMO of AiNews.com, with writing, image, and idea-generation support from ChatGPT, an AI assistant. However, the final perspective and editorial choices are solely Alicia Shapiro’s. Special thanks to ChatGPT for assistance with research and editorial support in crafting this article.