OpenAI has launched its new AI-powered browser, Atlas. Currently available on Windows Mac, the extension will soon roll out to Windows, iOS, and Android.
As demonstrated in a post on the company’s X account, users can open the Atlas extension on any webpage and ask ChatGPT further questions, such as which restaurants are near a certain hotel, or the suitability of clothing on online stores.
OpenAI has also previewed ‘Agent Mode’ with its premium users. This virtual assistant is capable of executing tasks from start to finish, including shopping for and booking flights completely independently. Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, explained:
[ChatGPT] has got all your stuff and is clicking around. You can watch it or not, you don’t have to, but it’s using the internet for you.
The launch represents a significant leap forward for agentic AI, but has nevertheless raised privacy concerns. Users can delete their web browsing history, but those opted into sharing their ‘Browser memories’ will share ‘facts and insights’ with OpenAI. How that information is shared with third parties is uncertain. Moreover, if users are giving ChatGPT oversight of purchases and bookings, that raises further questions about the security of sensitive information, such as credit card and passport details.
The launch of Atlas represents a real threat to traditional web browsers. Although Google is working to integrate its AI LLM, Gemini, into more search functions, Google stock fell by 4% immediately upon OpenAI’s announcement.
Wikipedia, the online encyclopaedia, has already reported that their Internet traffic has dropped by 8% as a result of more people getting answers through AI without clicking on web pages. With the launch of Atlas and other AI search engines such as Perplexity AI, airlines’ marketing and booking strategies could undergo a dramatic shift.
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