OpenAI launches its own AI browser ChatGPT Atlas to challenge Chrome and Apple Safari dominance

OpenAI has launched ChatGPT Atlas, an AI-powered web browser designed to redefine how people search, browse, and interact online. The launch is expected to challenge Google’s dominance in the browser market.

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Announced during a livestreamed demonstration, Atlas integrates the capabilities of ChatGPT directly into the browsing experience, allowing users to engage with the AI assistant seamlessly without switching tabs or copying text across applications.

The browser is available globally for macOS, with access for Windows, iOS, and Android “coming soon,” the company said. For now, its advanced Agent Mode will be available only to ChatGPT Plus, Pro, and Business subscribers.

Built-in ChatGPT and smart personalization

ChatGPT Atlas integrates a ChatGPT sidebar across web pages, enabling users to summarise content, analyse data, or receive real-time assistance on tasks such as writing, editing, or product comparison.

A “cursor chat” feature lets users highlight any text within an email or document and instantly ask ChatGPT to edit or refine it inline.

Another core feature, browser memories, allows the AI to remember useful details from users’ browsing sessions to provide contextual and personalized responses. For example, users can ask Atlas to “find all the job postings I viewed last week and create an overview of industry trends.”

OpenAI emphasized that these memories are fully user-controlled and can be viewed, archived, or deleted at any time.

Privacy, control, and safety

OpenAI said browsing data will not be used for model training by default. Users can manage what information Atlas retains through detailed privacy controls available in the Data Controls settings. They can also view or delete browser memories, revoke shared links, and use Incognito Mode, which does not link activity to a ChatGPT account or save browsing data once a session ends.

For transparency, users can enable or disable memory and diagnostic logs, clear web history by time range, or choose which sites ChatGPT can access. Browsing summaries are temporarily processed on OpenAI servers and automatically deleted within seven days. Sensitive websites, such as those containing financial or medical information, are excluded from summarization altogether.

The company added that macOS 26 users can opt for on-device summaries, ensuring web content is processed locally rather than on servers.

Agent mode: AI that acts on commands

Atlas’s Agent Mode extends ChatGPT’s abilities by allowing it to perform limited actions on users’ behalf, such as booking restaurant reservations, editing documents, or conducting research, while keeping users in control.

OpenAI noted that this mode includes strict safety guardrails like the browser cannot execute code, download files, access external apps, or interact with financial websites without explicit permission.