OpenAI Launches Web Browser to Challenge Google's Chrome Dominance

OpenAI is set to release its own web browser, a direct challenge to Google's Chrome, which dominates the market with over 3 billion users. The new browser will use AI to change how people surf the web and will integrate OpenAI's "agents" to perform tasks for users. It also aims to give the firm access to user data. The move is part of OpenAI's broader strategy to weave its services into consumers' lives.

OpenAI is set to release its own web browser, a direct challenge to Google's Chrome, which dominates the market with over 3 billion users. The new browser will use AI to change how people surf the web and will integrate OpenAI's "agents" to perform tasks for users. It also aims to give the firm access to user data. The move is part of OpenAI's broader strategy to weave its services into consumers' lives.

The browser is slated to launch in the coming weeks, according to three sources familiar with the matter who spoke with Reuters [1]. OpenAI's browser aims to fundamentally change how consumers browse the web by using artificial intelligence. It is designed to keep some user interactions within a ChatGPT-like native chat interface instead of clicking through to websites [1].

If adopted by the 400 million weekly active users of ChatGPT, OpenAI's browser could put pressure on a key component of rival Google's ad-money spigot. Chrome is an important pillar of Alphabet's ad business, which makes up nearly three-quarters of its revenue [1]. The browser's access to a user's web activity would make it the ideal platform for AI "agents" that can take actions on their behalf, like booking reservations or filling out forms, directly within the websites they use [1].

OpenAI's browser is built atop Chromium, Google's own open-source browser code [1]. This allows OpenAI to leverage the existing infrastructure while adding its own AI capabilities. The browser is part of a broader strategy by OpenAI to weave its services across the personal and work lives of consumers [1].

OpenAI has been exploring new ventures as it is rumored to be splitting from its partnership with Windows developer Microsoft (MSFT) [2]. The new OpenAI browser faces steep competition: Google Chrome, which is used by more than 3 billion people, currently holds more than two-thirds of the worldwide browser market, according to web analytics firm StatCounter [2]. In a distant second place is Apple’s Safari.

The move by OpenAI to develop its own browser aligns with its broader mission to revolutionize the way users interact with the internet and to democratize access to advanced technology [4]. This development follows OpenAI's recent collaborations with educational institutions and its entry into the hardware domain by purchasing io, an AI devices startup from Apple's former design chief, Jony Ive [3].

References:
[1] https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/openai-web-browser-1.7580958
[2] https://cryptorank.io/news/feed/4327b-openai-to-release-web-browser-to-challenge-google-chrome
[3] https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/09/openai-to-release-web-browser-in-challenge-to-google-chrome.html
[4] https://www.ainvest.com/news/openai-plans-ai-powered-web-browser-enhanced-user-experience-2507/