Reuters reported on July 9 that OpenAI is preparing to launch an "AI-powered web browser" in a bid to take a slice out of Google's ad revenue pie. While there isn't an official release date for this new browser yet, insiders at OpenAI told Reuters it "is slated to launch in the coming weeks."
The motivation behind this new browser, as Reuters points out, is to get more direct access to the user data that Google siphons off through Chrome. That data could serve a few purposes for OpenAI, particularly as a new well of training data for its AI models and as a source of revenue from targeted ads.
In other words, an AI-infused web browser will probably be a privacy nightmare. Of course, Chrome has its own privacy issues and it's virtually impossible to stay completely private online. It's also possible OpenAI will give its browser some privacy options to limit how your data is shared.
Regardless, fans of ChatGPT might not mind OpenAI tapping into their data in exchange for its chatbot getting woven into every facet of their web browsing experience. It's still unclear what exactly this "AI-powered" web browser will look like, but it's a safe bet it will feature a prominent ChatGPT query box alongside (or even instead of) a standard search box, AI plugins, and the like.
Considering ChatGPT has some 400 million monthly users, there's a chance OpenAI's new browser could get significant attention. However, toppling Chrome's hold on the web browser market will be a Herculean feat. As of June 2025, Chrome has a 68.3% share of the global web browser market. The runner up is Safari with a measly 16.25% share.
To make matters worse for OpenAI, it's not the only company trying to launch an AI web browser. It's not even the first. Last week, Perplexity AI launched an early version of its AI web browser, Comet. It's only available to a small group of Perplexity subscribers right now, but it beat OpenAI out the door.
Clearly, AI companies are looking to web browsers as the next frontier for promoting their AI models and getting more sweet, sweet training data. Will AI solve tangible issues, like making web browsing faster, improving security, or reducing disruptive ads? It's anyone's guess, but for now I'll be sticking with Firefox and Librewolf.
