OpenAI is preparing to release its AI-powered web browser, directly targeting Google Chrome’s stronghold over the global browser market, according to a Reuters report citing sources familiar with the development.
The browser, expected to launch in the coming weeks, is designed to integrate OpenAI’s advanced AI tools, such as its digital agent Operator, into users’ daily browsing experiences. According to the sources, the browser will offer a ChatGPT-like interface that reduces the need for traditional web navigation by allowing users to complete tasks, get answers, and interact with content directly through AI.
OpenAI aims to integrate its services more deeply into both personal and professional routines of users. With over 500 million weekly active ChatGPT users, a successful browser launch could pose a serious challenge to Google’s lucrative search and ad ecosystem.
The browser is reportedly built atop Chromium, the same open-source codebase behind Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Opera. However, by creating its platform rather than a plug-in, OpenAI aims to retain direct control over user data, an area central to Google’s dominance in advertising.
Sources told Reuters that OpenAI’s browser is specifically designed to retain user interactions within its own environment, limiting traffic routed through traditional websites and potentially reducing reliance on Google Search.
Chrome currently commands more than two-thirds of the global browser market, with over 3 billion users, according to StatCounter. Apple’s Safari holds a distant second place at 16%. While Google faces antitrust scrutiny in the US over its search monopoly, including calls for Chrome’s divestiture, OpenAI has been steadily hiring former Google engineers, including Chrome’s original architects, to build its competing platform.
Last year, OpenAI even expressed interest in acquiring Chrome if forced divestiture became legally mandated.
Meanwhile, AI-powered browser alternatives are emerging from startups like Perplexity (Comet), The Browser Company, and Brave, all of which are integrating AI to streamline search, summarization, and task automation.