AI-powered browsers are a new generation of web browsers that go beyond just displaying web pages — they integrate artificial intelligence directly into the browsing experience, offering capabilities such as summarising content, answering questions about what you’re viewing, and even performing multi-step tasks for you. These tools represent a shift from traditional browsing toward context-aware assistant-driven interaction with the web.
ChatGPT Atlas (OpenAI) integrates ChatGPT into the browser itself, letting users summarise web pages, extract key points and ask questions without leaving the page. It also supports an Agent Mode — a feature that can take actions on your behalf (like comparing prices or planning events) with supervised automation — and currently runs on macOS with other platforms in development.
Perplexity’s Comet is another major AI browser that pairs web browsing with an embedded AI assistant focused on research, summarisation and task assistance. It can read multiple sites at once, help compare information and perform guided automation on user permission, and is available on desktop and Android.
Beyond those two, AI features are appearing in established browsers too: Google’s Chrome now includes Gemini-powered AI tools and an auto-browse feature that can research, fill forms, and assist with online tasks; Microsoft’s Edge Copilot adds an AI sidebar linked to Microsoft 365 services; and Opera One includes its own AI assistant Aria embedded into the browser. DuckDuckGo’s Duck.ai brings private AI search/chat capabilities within its privacy-focused browser, while Dia from The Browser Company offers AI integrated into the browsing interface for productivity-oriented users.
Pros & cons of AI browsing vary. Proponents say AI browsers reduce time spent searching and summarise information more intelligently, essentially turning browsing into a conversation with an assistant rather than manual tab hopping. But they also raise privacy and security concerns, including vulnerabilities where hidden instructions in web content could be misinterpreted by an AI agent, potentially exposing data or performing unintended actions — prompting caution and calls for stronger safeguards.
