OpenAI launches Atlas browser with deep ChatGPT integration

TL;DR:

  • OpenAI has released Atlas, a new web browser with ChatGPT deeply integrated throughout the browsing experience
  • Features include side chat for page-specific questions, direct text editing in web apps, and bookmark/history search via natural language
  • Agent Mode preview allows the browser to autonomously perform multi-step tasks like moving data between web applications

OpenAI has launched Atlas, a new web browser that integrates ChatGPT directly into the browsing experience, marking the company’s push into browser territory currently dominated by Chrome, Edge, and Safari. The macOS version is available now, with Windows and mobile versions promised to follow.

Context and Background

Founder and CEO Sam Altman described Atlas as OpenAI’s answer to the question “What if I could chat with a browser?” The browser centres on making ChatGPT a core way users interact with the web, with Altman stating that “the chat experience and a web browser can be a great analogue” for how people will use the internet in the future.

The browser includes standard features like tabs, bookmarks, and autofill, but integrates ChatGPT throughout. Users can search bookmarks and browsing history using natural language prompts, bring up a “side chat” panel to ask questions about the current page, and edit content directly in web applications like Gmail without copying and pasting between windows. The home screen mirrors Chrome’s simplicity, with a text field prompting users to “Ask ChatGPT or type a URL.”

Market Impact: OpenAI publicly expressed interest in purchasing Chrome in April 2025, though recent legal developments make Google’s sale unlikely. The company now joins Microsoft (Edge with Copilot), Google (Chrome with Gemini), and startups like Perplexity in the race to build AI-powered browsers.

Looking Forward

Agent Mode, available in preview to ChatGPT Plus and Pro subscribers, represents the browser’s most ambitious feature. The demonstration showed Atlas autonomously moving planning tasks from Google Docs to Linear project management software and adding recipe ingredients to Instacart carts. The agent can click through tabs as if it were a human user, with full access to authentication and browsing history, though it cannot execute code outside the browser.

The browser’s success will depend on whether ChatGPT’s 700 million-plus weekly active users are willing to switch from their current browsers. OpenAI’s entry into the browser market also provides direct access to valuable user data beyond ChatGPT prompts and could offer a straightforward path to integrating advertising into the ChatGPT experience.

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