OpenAI launched its artificial intelligence-powered web browser on Tuesday, aiming to take on the dominance of Google Chrome in a market long led by the tech giant. The new product, named Atlas, integrates the widely used ChatGPT tool directly into the browser experience.
The web browser Atlas, now available globally on macOS, is designed to reshape how users interact online. With features like a persistent ChatGPT sidebar, users can summarize web content, analyze data, and compare products in real time.
A premium option, known as agent mode, allows the AI to perform tasks across websites — such as planning trips or making purchases — without manual input.
In a live demonstration, developers showed ChatGPT locating a recipe online and then automatically ordering the ingredients through Instacart, navigating the entire process from start to checkout.
AI browsers enter a crowded market
The browser enters a growing field of AI-enhanced competitors, including Perplexity’s Comet, Brave, and Opera’s Neon, all seeking to combine AI tools with traditional browsing to improve usability. Atlas sets itself apart by leaning on OpenAI’s popular chatbot, which now sees over 800 million weekly active users.
OpenAI’s ChatGPT Atlas is shaking up the browser game! Not just a browser with AI, it is the AI blending convo AI with web navigation.
Features: AI sidebar for real-time summaries & analysis, Agent Mode for tasks like ordering or scheduling (Plus/Pro), and Browser Memory for… pic.twitter.com/EtnsadRG0O
— Arab_Crypta💲 (@arabcrypta) October 22, 2025
Following the announcement, shares of Alphabet, Google’s parent company and owner of Chrome, dropped 1.8% in afternoon trading. Analysts view the release of Atlas as a direct challenge to Google’s grip on both search and advertising markets.
Gil Luria, an analyst at D.A. Davidson, explained that OpenAI’s move to embed chat functions into a browser could mark the first step toward monetizing its services through advertising.
He noted that if OpenAI begins selling ads, it could impact Google’s dominant position in search ad revenue, where it currently holds nearly 90% of the market.
Google responds to growing competition
Despite growing competition, Chrome maintained a 71.9% global browser market share in September, according to StatCounter. But the launch of Atlas could create new pressure on Google, especially as users shift toward conversational AI for search.
Google has responded by introducing AI Overviews in its search results and embedding its Gemini AI model into Chrome for U.S. users, with plans to expand to iOS. The company continues to adjust to changing user behavior since ChatGPT’s debut in 2022.
In a separate development, a federal judge ruled last month that Google would not be required to divest its Chrome browser. Judge Amit Mehta said Google’s deals to promote its search engine remain legally acceptable, especially amid rising investment in generative AI across the industry.
OpenAI has not yet announced when Atlas will be available for Windows, iOS, or Android.
