browser

Oct. 21 (UPI) — OpenAI unveiled the early version of its AI-powered ChatGPT Atlas web browser on Tuesday, offering many powerful features that seek to interlace the company’s technology into daily internet use.

The new browser is currently only available on macOS, with future versions coming to Windows and mobile devices, according to a post by OpenAI. While other tech companies, including Microsoft and Google, have incorporated AI into their products, OpenAI called Atlas a step closer “to a true super-assistant” that follows users across the web.

“It’s a new kind of browser for the next era of the web,” OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said in a video, where staff demonstrated how Atlas could be used to complete a grocery order, help project management at work and other tasks.

Atlas will draw on user’s previous interactions with the powerful chat bot, meaning it will have a back-and-forth deeper than Google’s box of AI-generated results that accompanies web searches.

If Atlas is popular, it could be “a serious threat to Google’s dominance,” according to TechCrunch. It could also provide valuable information to targeted advertising should OpenAI change its business model. But the tech website concluded that “It’s still early days for Atlas and a lot will depend on the product itself — and whether users really want what OpenAI is offering here.”

Users of the paid version of ChatGPT can use “agent” mode that allows Atlas to perform some tasks independently.

“Despite all of the power and awesome capabilities that you get with sharing your browser with ChatGPT that also poses an entirely new set of risks,” OpenAI’s Pranav Vishnu said during the video announcing Atlas. He said that there are safeguards that keep the agent operating on Atlas tabs and prevents it from accessing users’ computer files.

Marketing experts have warned that AI could soon be used to make purchases for consumers using their data. Users of Atlas can limit what data is saved, according to an OpenAI page explaining user controls.

Oct. 2 (UPI) — Officials for San Francisco-based Perplexity AI on Thursday announced the tech startup’s Comet browser that is powered by artificial intelligence is free to download and available globally.

Perplexity initially launched the Comet browser in July for its Perplexity Max subscribers and created a waitlist for others, which now includes millions of potential users, according to CNBC.

The browser features a “sidecar assistant” that helps users to more effectively browse the World Wide Web and can summarize and explain content on particular web pages, TechCrunch reported.

Paid Max subscribers also can access a “background assistant “that helps Comet users to multitask while online.”

Additional Comet browser tools for free users include Discover, which aggregates news and content for individual users, and Shopping, which helps with price comparisons for online shoppers.

Spaces is another Comet tool and helps to organize projects and manage their progress, and a Finance tool assists with budgeting, tracking spending and staying abreast of investments.

A Sports tool offers updates schedules, scores and sports news, while a Travel tool provides information on potential destinations, travel and accommodation costs.

Those who continue to subscribe to Perplexity Max can access AI models and use an email assistant that helps to draft and respond to emails and keep inboxes organized.

The Comet browser competes directly with Google, OpenAI, Anthropic and others that have launched AI-driven web browsers and comes after Perplexity officials tried to buy Google.

The tech firm in August made a $34.5 billion offer to buy Google’s Chrome browser, which Google first launched in 2008.

Perplexity was valued at $18 billion at the time, but company officials said they had financial backing from others when making the unsolicited offer that Google declined.

Perplexity made the offer after the Justice Department encouraged Google to sell its Chrome browser after a federal antitrust lawsuit concluded that tech firm has monopolized online search and text advertising.

July 9 (UPI) — San Francisco-based Perplexity on Wednesday made its new artificial intelligence-powered Comet web browser available to its highest-paying Perplexity Max subscribers and a few others.

Perplexity officials call the browser a “direct line to the world’s knowledge” on any topic and in any language.

“We built Comet to let the Internet do what it has been begging to do — to amplify our intelligence,” Perplexity officials said in an unattributed blog post on Wednesday, as reported by CNBC.

“We will continue to launch new features and functionality for Comet, improve experiences based on your feedback and focus relentlessly … on building accurate and trustworthy AI that fuels human curiosity,” Perplexity said.

The browser’s AI-powered search engine is already installed and set as the default search engine that places the AI-generated search result summaries “front and center,” TechCrunch reported.

Search results are “compressed, cited and made clear” to make them understandable, while ensuring the originating sources are credited with providing the information, according to Perplexity.

The Comet browser’s rollout will continue through the summer months and includes a select group of invited users who joined a waitlist to receive it in addition to the Perplexity Max subscribers.

The AI-powered browser’s launch comes as Gallup says AI use for work purposes nearly doubled over the past two years.

Some 40% of workers who were recently surveyed by Gallup said they occasionally use AI while at work, which is up from 21% two years ago.

Those who frequently use AI rose from 11% to 19% since Gallup began tracking AI use among workers in 2023.

Those who use AI daily also doubled, from 4% to 8% over the same period.