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Hello reader,
For the better part of two decades, I feel like the web browser was a solved commodity. Almost every offering had the same formula: a search bar, tabs, and bookmarks.
But this hasn’t stopped me from trying out different browsers. I’ve switched from Google’s Chrome to Mozilla’s Firefox and even used Microsoft Edge daily at one point. I eventually settled on Brave.
But as with seemingly all things, AI is changing the browser game.
Image credit: Arsal Ysfin
Last week, OpenAI launched ChatGPT Atlas, its long-rumored AI-powered browser. CEO Sam Altman called it a “rare, once-a-decade opportunity to rethink what a browser can be.”
Dominic Ligot, founder of data science firm CirroLytix, told me that the launch is a “clear offensive play” to capture user attention.
But launching a browser to compete with incumbents like Google Chrome is an uphill battle.
As of September this year, Chrome’s global market share sat at around 72%, up from 65.7% a year ago. Safari is a far second with a 13.9% share, and that comes with being preinstalled with Apple products.
One advantage of using ChatGPT Atlas is the AI features baked in. Unlike traditional browsers, ChatGPT Atlas can summarize a page, rewrite a message directly within an email platform, or even remember a pair of shoes users were looking at and give out a link to buy them.
But early testers are underwhelmed.
Cybersecurity expert and software engineer Junade Ali told Sky News that it felt like “watching a 12-year-old use my computer,” as ChatGPT Atlas would struggle to do complex tasks and get stuck.
OpenAI says the browser’s agent mode is still in its infancy, and that it can “make mistakes on complex workflows.”
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