TECH NEWS – We’re now hearing from more reliable sources that the Sam Altman–led company is looking to replace Google as the “middleman.”

According to a Reuters report, OpenAI is planning to launch an artificial intelligence-powered web browser to compete for a share of Google’s advertising revenue. Although the new browser has no official release date, OpenAI insiders told Reuters it will launch in the coming weeks. The motivation behind the new browser is to gain direct access to the user data Google has leaked through Chrome. This data could serve multiple purposes for OpenAI, including serving as a new source of training data for AI models and generating revenue through targeted advertising.

An AI-enhanced web browser is likely to pose serious privacy concerns. Chrome already has privacy issues, and it’s nearly impossible to be completely private online. However, it’s possible that OpenAI will provide its browser with privacy settings to limit data sharing. ChatGPT fans may not mind OpenAI accessing their data in exchange for integrating its chatbot into every aspect of their web browsing experience.

While it’s unclear exactly what the AI-based browser will look like, it will certainly feature a prominent ChatGPT query box, potentially replacing the traditional search box. With around 400 million monthly users, ChatGPT could give OpenAI’s new browser a lot of attention. However, beating Chrome in the web browser market will be a Herculean achievement. In June, Chrome held a 68.3% share of the global web browser market. Safari is in second place with a 16.25% share.

Making matters worse for OpenAI, it is not the only company trying to launch an AI-powered web browser. In fact, it is not even the first. Last week, Perplexity AI launched an early version of its AI-powered browser, Comet. It’s currently only available to a select group of Perplexity subscribers, but it beats OpenAI to the punch. Will AI solve tangible problems such as making web browsing faster, improving security, and reducing intrusive ads? Only time will tell.

Source: PCGamer, Reuters, Statcounter, CNBC