San Francisco: OpenAI browser Atlas has been launched as part of the company’s strategy to compete directly with established players such as Google Chrome.
The browser, powered by ChatGPT, eliminates the traditional address bar and has been described by Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman as being ‘built around ChatGPT’. The product has been made available for Apple’s MacOS users, with plans for wider rollout in the coming months.
The release of Atlas has highlighted OpenAI’s broader ambition to monetise its artificial intelligence investments and strengthen its position in the digital tools market. The company has confirmed that the browser will include a paid ‘agent mode’, allowing ChatGPT to perform searches automatically for users.
Alongside the launch of the OpenAI browser, the firm has announced partnerships with major online platforms, including Etsy, Shopify, Expedia, and Booking.com. These collaborations aim to integrate AI-powered browsing and purchasing capabilities directly within partner ecosystems, enhancing user experience and engagement.
At OpenAI’s DevDay event earlier this month, Altman revealed that ChatGPT had achieved 800 million weekly active users, up from 400 million in February, based on data from research firm Demandsage.
Industry analysts, including Pat Moorhead of Moor Insights & Strategy, have indicated that early adopters are expected to test the new browser, though widespread adoption may take time as users await similar AI capabilities from existing browsers such as Chrome and Edge.
OpenAI’s move comes amid a changing search landscape, following a US court ruling that declared Google an illegal monopolist in online search. While the court stopped short of requiring Google to divest its Chrome browser, the decision has renewed competition in the search and browser space.
Data from research firm Datos shows that as of July, 5.99 percent of desktop searches have been performed through large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT, more than double the figure from a year earlier. With AI now a central focus for major tech companies, Google has also intensified its own AI integration within search results to maintain its dominant market share.
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