Last Tuesday, OpenAI released AI browser Atlas, and its icon looks very similar to GPT.

Open the browser and log in with GPT. You can choose to import Chrome browser's tabs with one click. The homepage of the browser will be Chatgpt's chatbox, which has the same layout as the web version, and past conversations will be fully retained.

After asking a question, five options appeared at the top of the dialog box, allowing users to switch between AI answers, webpages, images, videos, or news results. In this sense, Atlas provides options similar to traditional search engines, but prio

Opening a specific webpage will display a 'GPT inquiry' function button on the top right corner. People can directly ask AI questions about the webpage content without the need to copy and paste information to the webpage.

It is evident that OpenAI's move is directly targeting Google, which owns the Chrome browser. As the largest user traffic entrance for desktop, the browser is where OpenAI aims to gain more traffic by launching its own browser.

OpenAI initially started as a non-profit organization with the goal of achieving AGI. However, the research and development, as well as the computational power consumption involved in this process, require a significant amount of continuous capital i

Recently, Reuters reported that OpenAI is seeking to go public. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman also mentioned the issue of funding shortages in a public live broadcast, stating that OpenAI is expected to consume $115 billion by 2029 with an expected income of

OpenAI has been seeking more profit opportunities. This year, ChatGPT first added an e-commerce feature, allowing users to click on external product links, and then launched a payment function, enabling users to make purchases directly through GPT.

Now OpenAI has once again become the largest traffic portal-the browser, revitalizing the desktop browser that has been stolen by mobile terminals. In addition to funding issues, there is a more important reason for OpenAI's entry-the AI browser, whi

AI Browser War: Full Upgrade

For a long time in the past, AI browsers followed the path of integration.

As the name suggests, 'putting AI in the browser' mainly involves integrating AI into a sidebar, allowing users to instantly ask questions about web content while they browse.

The sidebar has become a showcase for AI models, from Doubao to DeepSeek and Gemini, with various AI models offering web assistant plugins that are encapsulated in sidebars to provide translation, summarization, quick Q&A, and other functions. This c

In comparison, the products of start-ups in this field such as Comet and Dia have taken a more radical approach by directly using AI to address people's needs, rather than merely aiding them in understanding 'search results'.

Diagram｜Screenshot of Dia homepage; Screenshot of Comet homepage

Atlas follows the same route, characterized by putting AI at the core of the browsing experience. The Atlas homepage always features a GPT search box, and search results are displayed in a conversational format. However, users can choose the traditio

Atlas supports Google plugins, and users can choose to import bookmarks from Google or Safari during installation. On any webpage, AI can directly "see" and understand the current page content. Analyze codes and compare product parameters without the

If users allow Atlas to access their memories in their privacy settings, the browser can remember more of their browsing data and use it as context. Users can open their history in a natural language, such as reviewing an article they read last week.

In addition, there is the agent mode (currently only for paid subscribers), which allows Atlas to handle certain tasks autonomously or semi-autonomously. This is a crucial step for AI to evolve from information gathering toward that of an electronic

OpenAI's chief designer calls it an invitation for ChatGPT to enter the corners of your internet. When a browser starts to understand you based on browsing data, it is no longer a tool that passively displays information, but an assistant that can un

Prior to OpenAI, several start-ups had already taken the first step in this direction. AI search company Perplexity launched browser Comet, and The Browser Company launched two AI browsers, Arc and Dia.

Taking Dia as an example, it has a simple design and its core is to enhance the AI's ability as a research secretary. Currently, Atlas doesn't support quoting multiple webpages, but Dia can take questions from multiple open webpages. For researchers

Image: Trying out the web comparison feature of dia

Two days after Atlas was released, Microsoft coincidentally launched a new Copilot mode for its Edge browser, attempting to upgrade Copilot from a passive "assistant" to a capable "intelligent body" that can perform tasks. The newly added "Actions" f

There are also similar AI browsers in the domestic market. Currently, the Doubao computer interface is also an AI dialogue bar, with the top bar displaying the opened webpages, supporting the import of Chrome bookmarks, and adopting a similar layout

The AI browser war, both in building a browser from scratch and upgrading existing ones, has intensified with the entry of OpenAI, domestically and internationally.n

Why did OpenAI enter the AI browser market?

Starting from the release of GPT at the end of 2022, the competition among large models has been intense for nearly three years. New players such as DeepSeek, Gemini, and Claude have emerged one after another, providing users with more and more choic

In this long-lasting technology competition, making money has always been the most challenging part. The commercialization of AI comes with limitations, and relying on burning cash to build computing power or subscriptions to support research and dev

Models are now trying to find ways to increase user engagement time and gain more commercialization opportunities. At this point, the 'browser' has become a more imaginative entry point.

Compared to AI websites, browsers naturally have stronger user stickiness. People open websites just to use them and then leave, and inserting advertisements can actually ruin the user experience; but as the starting point of information, browsers ar

Browsers enjoy a solid user perception as an information aggregator, and from a business perspective, the display order and sidebars are great advertising spaces. The dominant player in this field is Google's Chrome browser. According to Statcounter,

According to Similarweb, a website analysis tool, ChatGPT.com currently has a monthly visit count of 5.9 billion. As reported by TechCrunch in July this year, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman stated that it has over 800 million active users. It is not hard to i

The launch of the browser marks OpenAI's intention to shift from being a 'technology company' to building a 'user platform' that has full control over access, users, and data.

GPT has an advantage over start-ups in making browsers. The company that developed Dia browser also launched another AI browser, Arc browser, which received positive reviews. However, due to its innovative features catering to a relatively niche user

GPT has a large user base, so there is no need to worry too much about new features blocking users, which is a competitive advantage that OpenAI naturally has. Users do not need to re-accumulate data and form personal profiles, they can migrate past

For OpenAI, these trusted user data can also feed back into model training, making the model smarter and the experience smoother with each use, creating a positive cycle. All online behavior occurs in this environment, and the platform will gradually

The more you use it, the better it knows you, and the more you will rely on it.

AI Browser, Rebuilding Google Moment

In the mobile internet era, browsers can once again become a traffic entry for giants to compete, and the key lies in the outbreak of Agent - letting AI grow hands and feet.

Before the emergence of agents, browsers were merely intermediaries between information websites and users. If people wanted to choose one perfume brand from many, they needed to browse through multiple brand homepages or e-commerce platforms, jump b

With the help of Agent, the browser becomes an assistant with wisdom and execution ability. People only need to describe their needs in natural language, the model will interpret the meaning, and Agent will automatically execute the task.

On July 21st, 2025, Perplexity completed a $100 million financing round, with a corporate valuation of $18 billion. The high valuation achieved by the AI search company reflects market expectations for the transformation of search engines or the emer

But whether users can really change their search habits remains to be seen. The browser is the tool that users use on the computer for the longest time, so it's not realistic to change habits in a short time. At the same time, AI browsers also have t

These new features require powerful computing power support and are mostly provided as paid subscriptions, which requires users to accept the concept shift from free browsing to paid usage.

In addition to the above, users are concerned about security. With browsers having stronger proactive execution capabilities, new security risks have emerged. According to a report by FORTUNE, current AI systems still have difficulty distinguishing b

Image | Discussion on Reddit forum

But change is not completely impossible. When Google launched Chrome, IE browsers dominated with their bundling with operating systems. Chrome successfully achieved massive user migration by providing an experience far superior to IE in speed, stabil

Currently, Agent demonstrates decent performance in reading and organizing information, but it is still in its early stages of development when it comes to executing tasks on complex web interfaces. However, it is foreseeable that all browsers in the

Today, with the incomplete functions of AI browsers, it remains a mystery how AI interfaces will reshape people's online experience. However, we can believe that this question hides a vast imaginative space, which will surely be a new way to obtain i

References:

Arc Browser Founder Interview: Analyzing Arc's Successes and Failures, Redefining AI Browsers with Dia, Founder Park, April 25, 2025

Warning from cybersecurity experts: OpenAI's ChatGPT Atlas has security vulnerabilities. Source: FORTUNE, October 23, 2025

Wang Junyu: I'm optimistic about AI, but not so optimistic about the 'AI Browser' | AI Browser (Part 2), First Financial News, July 2025

This article is from the WeChat public account Ciwei Gongshe (ID: ciweigongshe)