OpenAI’s ChatGPT has been nipping at Google’s search dominance for months. Now, the AI startup is taking Google head-on with an AI-powered browser that can shop, schedule, and search on behalf of users.
Launched globally on Tuesday, Atlas lets its ChatGPT agent navigate the web and complete tasks—from booking reservations to adding groceries to a cart. The product gives OpenAI a direct foothold in search and online activity and access to the kind of data that powers targeted advertising and commerce.
Atlas is available on macOS, with Windows, iOS, and Android versions coming soon.
With ChatGPT in every tab, Atlas appears to offer a more personalized browsing experience. Users can ask questions, draft emails, conduct research, shop, or schedule tasks without switching pages.
The browser draws on activity—including open tabs and logged-in sites—to tailor responses, resurface past work, and, in “agent mode,” take actions like adding items to a cart or summarizing content.
By default, Atlas displays a split-screen whenever a user clicks on a search result, showing the webpage it came from alongside a live transcript from ChatGPT.
During a livestream, OpenAI employees said this layout, which users can disable, is designed to provide a constant AI “companion.” The company also demonstrated Atlas’s ability to summarize webpages and its “cursor chat†feature, which lets ChatGPT edit text directly in emails or other fields.
“AI represents a rare, once-in-a-decade opportunity to rethink what a browser can be. The way that we hope people will use the internet in the future, and that we’re starting to see, is that the chat experience and a web browser can be a great analog,†said OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.
Browser wars
Atlas launches as the race to dominate AI-powered search browsers has intensified in recent months.
OpenAI previewed its SearchGPT engine in July 2024, while Perplexity launch AI-powered browser Comet, which can summarize videos, declutter inboxes, and even make Amazon purchases.
Google, meanwhile, has been embedding its Gemini AI assistant into Chrome. It promises Gemini will be able to handle tasks like grocery shopping and scheduling soon, but has not yet confirmed a roll out date.
The moves come as Google faced a softer outcome than expected in its antitrust trial, avoiding a breakup while retaining control of Chrome and Android—though its dominance over search data will be slightly curtailed.
Alphabet shares slipped nearly 5% Tuesday following Atlas’ debut.
