OpenAI has launched ChatGPT Atlas, an AI-driven web browser built around its popular chatbot, directly challenging Google Chrome’s dominance in the market.
The launch signals OpenAI’s latest step in expanding beyond chat into users’ wider digital activity. With over 800 mln weekly ChatGPT users, the company aims to integrate AI into everyday browsing and gather insights into how people navigate the web.
The browser, now available globally on Apple’s macOS, will roll out to Windows, iOS and Android later. ChatGPT Atlas allows users to open a sidebar to summarise content, compare products or analyse information from any site. A paid «agent mode» enables ChatGPT to act on users’ behalf, performing full online tasks such as researching and shopping. During a live demo, developers showed the chatbot finding a recipe, then automatically purchasing the ingredients through Instacart.
Analysts say this move could accelerate a shift from keyword-based search toward AI-powered conversational tools, intensifying OpenAI’s rivalry with Google. Following the announcement, Alphabet shares fell 1.8% in afternoon trading.
Despite rising competition, Google Chrome still leads the global browser market with 71.9% share, according to StatCounter. Yet analysts suggest Atlas could disrupt the balance by opening new routes for advertising.
«Integrating chat into a browser is a precursor for OpenAI starting to sell ads,» said Gil Luria, analyst at D.A. Davidson. «Once OpenAI starts selling ads, it could take a significant share of search advertising from Google, which currently holds about 90% of that market.»
Kursiv also reports that the mother and two sisters of Samsung Electronics chairman Jay Y. Lee are preparing to sell shares worth $1.22 bn in the South Korean tech giant.
