OpenAI is nearing the launch of an AI-powered web browser that could rival Google Chrome, according to three sources familiar with the matter. The browser is expected to debut within weeks and is designed to transform web browsing through native AI features, including a ChatGPT-style interface that reduces the need to click through to websites.
If widely adopted by ChatGPT’s 500 million weekly users, the browser could threaten a key pillar of Google’s ad business – Chrome’s dominance in collecting user data for targeted advertising. Chrome currently commands over two-thirds of the global browser market.
The browser will be built on Chromium, the same open-source foundation as Chrome, and could integrate OpenAI’s AI agents, such as Operator, to perform tasks like filling forms or booking reservations directly on websites.
This move aligns with OpenAI’s broader push to embed its AI services more deeply into users’ personal and professional lives. It follows OpenAI’s recent $6.5 billion acquisition of AI device startup io, co-founded by former Apple design chief Jony Ive.
OpenAI has already hired key former Google executives who helped develop Chrome. One insider said the decision to build a standalone browser, rather than a plugin, was to gain greater control over user data.
OpenAI declined to comment. Google, which faces antitrust scrutiny over its browser and search dominance, has said it plans to appeal a recent ruling finding it holds an unlawful monopoly.
