OpenAI Launches AI Browser Atlas to challenge Google

OpenAI announced ChatGPT Atlas in a livestream Tuesday, introducing its own web browser and unsettling the market. Alphabet shares slipped more than 2% as investors weighed the possibility of ChatGPT Atlas emerging as a serious rival to Google Chrome.

The browser rolls out immediately for MacOS, with Windows, iOS and Android versions scheduled to follow soon, OpenAI said.

ChatGPT Atlas is built around three defining features:

• A sidebar assistant that allows ChatGPT to accompany users while browsing.

• A browser memory function designed to refine search queries over time.

• ChatGPT Agent, a model capable of completing tasks such as booking reservations, placing online orders or editing documents.
  

OpenAI describes ChatGPT Atlas as a way to make interactions more direct, allowing users to work with ChatGPT without switching windows or taking screenshots. The browser memory feature is optional, users can archive or delete stored data through settings.

The ChatGPT Agent will initially be available only to ChatGPT Plus and Pro subscribers, according to CEO Sam Altman, who confirmed the rollout during the livestream.

“If ChatGPT Atlas gains traction, it could fundamentally reshape how people expect to engage with the internet in general,” said Jon Cambras, Vanguard’s head of emerging technology research, in an interview with Forbes. “Atlas’s AI-native architecture and agentic capabilities could offer a unique selling point, especially for users already comfortable with conversational interfaces.” “Integrating chat into a browser is a precursor for OpenAI starting to sell ads, which it has yet to do so far. Once OpenAI starts selling ads that could take away a significant part of search advertising share from Google, which has around 90% of that spend category,” said Gil Luria, analyst at D.A. Davidson.

ChatGPT Atlas vs. Gemini in Chrome

Google Chrome already integrates with Gemini, Google’s AI chatbot. The Gemini-in-Chrome feature, still limited in availability, adds a floating window that lets users ask questions while browsing. It can summarise articles, compare content between web pages and create events directly in Google Calendar.

Unlike ChatGPT Atlas, Gemini currently lacks agentic functionality, the ability to perform actions on behalf of the user. Google stated in September that these capabilities will roll out in “the coming months.”

$500 billion, that is OpenAI’s current valuation after securing $6.6 billion in fresh funding this month. The capital will reinforce its AI research and expand the computing power needed to sustain its growing platform.

OpenAI faces a steep climb in competing with Chrome, which dominates the global browser market with a 63.8% share, according to September data from SimilarWeb.

To win over users tethered to browsers integrated deeply into their digital ecosystems, OpenAI will need to prove that Atlas delivers genuine, practical value without friction. As Cambras put it, if ChatGPT Atlas is to “pull users away from browsers that are tightly integrated into their digital lives, OpenAI will need to prove that Atlas delivers a step-change in value without adding unnecessary friction.”

The next largest browser, Apple’s Safari, holds 22.3% of the market. Atlas may find its edge in the ChatGPT Agent’s task execution, a function that distinguishes it from most rivals.

The ChatGPT Agent was first introduced separately from Atlas as a standalone assistant capable of performing tasks autonomously. Within Atlas, those “agentic” actions are fully visible, users can watch the AI handle operations in real time, pausing or ending its activity whenever they wish.