OpenAI now has its own web browser called ChatGPT Atlas – here's what it can do
AI can help you do everything
🌍 OpenAI has unveiled its ChatGPT-powered browser
🖥️ Known as Atlas, the browser is available on macOS immediately
🤖 It uses ChatGPT for things such as booking flights and appointments, rephrasing text and more
💪 For higher-tier ChatGPT users, the Agent Mode can work autonomously on tasks you set it while you work away as normal
OpenAI has announced its own AI-powered web browser – ChatGPT Atlas – in its latest fight against Google.
The browser was first revealed in a live-streamed demo this past Tuesday after a teaser involving a video of browser tabs on a white screen.
The browser is available on macOS starting today, with access for folks using Windows, iOS and Android “coming soon”. The browser is available for Free, Plus, Pro and Go users, and for Enterprise and Edu users if enabled by their plan’s administrator, as per a press release.
ChatGPT’s “Agent” mode, where it can work for you, such as research and planning events while you browse, is available in Atlas for preview for ChatGPT Plus, Pro and Business users.
The unveiling livestream featured OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and employees Will Ellsworth, who works on post-training research; Adam Fry, the ChatGPT Search product lead; Ben Goodger, a storied developer previously for Chrome and Firefox; Ryan O’Rourke, an interface designer; Justin Rushing, formerly of Apple; and Pranav Vishnu.
During the livestream, Fry noted that one of Atlas’ best features is its memory, which is designed to make the browsing experience “more personalized and more helpful to you.”
The Agent Mode, according to Fry, now allows “ChatGPT to take actions for you”, such as booking reservations or flights. Google recently added AI to its Google Flights service to help you book flights when you don’t know where to go.
Users of Atlas will be able to see and manage the browser’s “memories” in its settings app, as well as being able to open incognito windows.
Whenever you click a link from a search result in Atlas, it will show a split-screen by default with the webpage on one side and a ChatGPT transcript on the other. The aim is to make the AI chatbot a ubiquitous part of the browsing experience, so it’s always there when you need it, as what OpenAI is calling a “companion”. It will be possible to turn off the split-screen mode if you’d prefer, though.
The livestream also highlighted the browser’s summarization features for webpages, as well as its ability to use ChatGPT to help you tidy up sentences in emails by selecting the text and clicking a button. OpenAI calls this “cursor chat”.
The “Agent” mode for the browser is the latest progression of OpenAI’s attempts at an autonomous AI assistant. Previous endeavors include the Operator tool, which was an early version of allowing ChatGPT to use a computer on a user’s behalf, and the following ChatGPT Agent, which could try to complete more advanced tasks such as shopping, although seemingly with varied success rates.
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Reece Bithrey is a journalist with credits in Trusted Reviews, Digital Foundry, PC Gamer, TechRadar and more. He also has his own blog, UNTITLED and graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in International History and Politics in 2023.