Placing the company in direct competition with Google Chrome, the browser, now available globally on macOS, brings ChatGPT beyond its traditional chat interface and into the core of how users interact with the web. 

Atlas allows users to summarise webpages, compare products, analyse data, fill out forms, and even automate complex tasks. With its built-in “Agent Mode,” paid subscribers can delegate multi-step activities such as trip planning, online shopping, or research, all executed autonomously by ChatGPT.

In a live demo, OpenAI engineers showed ChatGPT finding an online recipe and purchasing all the required ingredients on Instacart, demonstrating the browser’s ability to handle tasks from start to finish. Versions for Windows, iOS, and Android are expected to follow soon.

Atlas is built on Chromium, the same open-source engine behind Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge, ensuring full compatibility with existing websites. The browser also introduces browser memories, allowing ChatGPT to retain context from sites a user visits and use that information to provide smarter assistance later. 

Importantly, users maintain full control, they can view, archive, or delete these memories and browsing history at any time.

One early tester, college student Yogya Kalra, commended the tool’s seamless learning experience: “During lectures, I like using practice questions and real-world examples to really understand the material. 

“I used to switch between my slides and ChatGPT, taking screenshots just to ask a question. Now ChatGPT instantly understands what I’m looking at, helping me improve my knowledge checks as I go.”

According to OpenAI, Atlas is designed to create a more natural and interactive browsing experience by letting ChatGPT “come with you anywhere across the web.” The company says this integration will allow users to get work done faster, without constantly switching tabs or copying and pasting information.

Following the release, Alphabet’s shares fell by 1.8%. This reveals the market is uneasy due to the potential disruption to Google’s search advertising business. Analysts note that by embedding chat-driven search into a browser, OpenAI could eventually compete for a significant portion of Google’s ad revenue.

“Integrating chat into a browser is a precursor for OpenAI starting to sell ads, which it has yet to do so far,” said Gil Luria, analyst at D.A. Davidson. “Once OpenAI starts selling ads, that could take away a significant part of search advertising share from Google, which has around 90% of that spend category.”

Despite Chrome’s commanding 71.9% global market share, experts believe AI-native browsers like Atlas could gradually impact user behaviour, pushing the industry toward a more personalised, conversational web.

With the launch, OpenAI is leaping from being a software provider to owning part of the consumer interface. With over 800 million weekly active ChatGPT users, the company now has a massive base to build new monetisation channels, from search ads to productivity tools.

Atlas’s launch also stresses the competition between OpenAI and Google. In response to ChatGPT’s growing influence, Google has integrated its Gemini AI model into Chrome and introduced AI Overviews, blending chatbot-style summaries with traditional search results.

While Chrome still tops for now, Atlas shows browsing could become less about typing keywords, and more about having an intelligent assistant that understands, learns, and acts on behalf of the user.

According to individuals familiar with the matter who spoke with Reuters, the browser is beyond  another interface for visiting websites. It’s designed to merge browsing and AI seamlessly, using a built-in conversational assistant similar to ChatGPT to eliminate the need for constant clicking and searching. 

This could drastically reduce the number of direct website visits, as users interact through dialogue instead of traditional browsing paths.

The browser, which is expected to be released within weeks, will be built on Chromium, the same open-source codebase that powers Google Chrome. This choice ensures compatibility with modern web standards but allows OpenAI to retain full control over how user data is handled and integrated with its AI products. 

One source explained that this decision was made deliberately: “They didn’t want to be a plug-in. They wanted full control — full access to user behaviour and data streams.”

If adopted widely, the impact could be enormous. ChatGPT already has over 500 million weekly active users. Should even a fraction of that audience migrate to OpenAI’s browser, Alphabet’s grip on web traffic, and its multibillion-dollar ad business, could begin to slip. 

Chrome currently commands over 67% of the global browser market, with more than 3 billion users worldwide. But its supremacy is built on data: Chrome collects detailed information on browsing behaviour, feeding Google’s ad-targeting engine which generates the bulk of its revenue.

By building its own web browser, OpenAI is stepping directly into that space, bypassing intermediaries and creating a direct pipeline from user activity to AI interaction.

The browser will reportedly include Operator, OpenAI’s advanced AI agent, which can handle complex, multi-step tasks like booking travel, completing web forms, and summarising content, all without the user ever leaving the interface.

This launch also points to a deeper strategic move; rather than simply offering a new tool, OpenAI appears intent on embedding itself into the daily digital routines of both individual users and businesses. “It’s about creating a new default,” one source said. “They want AI to be your entry point to the internet—not a destination you visit when you need help.”

This approach is in contrast to Google, whose Chrome browser has been under regulatory fire for its role in monopolising search and advertising markets. A U.S. judge ruled in 2023 that Google held an unlawful monopoly in online search, and the Department of Justice has demanded structural changes, including possibly breaking up its control over Chrome.

Interestingly, OpenAI had once considered acquiring Chrome if regulators forced a sale. An OpenAI executive disclosed during testimony in April that “if Chrome were to be spun off, we would absolutely be interested.” That possibility remains uncertain, as Google has vowed to appeal the ruling and denies any wrongdoing.

Other players are already exploring the same direction. Perplexity launched an AI-driven browser called Comet last week, which can autonomously complete tasks online.

Brave and The Browser Company have also introduced AI-enhanced browsers with features such as summarisation and integrated assistants. But OpenAI’s entry stands apart, thanks to its existing user base and brand equity.

With its own browser, OpenAI is likely to focus on a commercial model built around premium AI tools rather than ad-driven surveillance. This could appeal to users wary of how much personal data is harvested and monetised by tech giants.

One observer said, “They’re not just trying to replace Chrome—they’re trying to redefine what browsing even means.”

OpenAI has declined to comment officially on the browser project. Sources with knowledge of the matter have requested anonymity as they are not authorised to speak publicly.