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OpenAI is preparing to shake up the web browsing market with the upcoming release of its own AI-powered browser. The move positions the ChatGPT maker to go head-to-head with Alphabet’s dominant Google Chrome, which currently controls more than two-thirds of the global browser market.
The browser, expected to launch within weeks, is built on Chromium — the same open-source engine that powers Chrome — and is designed to deeply integrate OpenAI’s advanced AI agents into the user experience. Two sources say that, instead of traditional click-through browsing, users will interact with a native chat interface that keeps more activity within OpenAI’s ecosystem.
A Strategic Play for Data — and Dominance
For OpenAI, the browser represents more than a new product line — it’s a critical data channel and a direct pipeline to user behavior, something that has long powered Google’s advertising empire.
“If even a fraction of ChatGPT’s reported 400–500 million weekly users adopt the browser, it could pose a serious threat to one of Alphabet’s most lucrative data streams,” one source told us.
Chrome plays a pivotal role in Google’s ad targeting engine, steering search traffic to its own platforms and providing granular user data that fuels personalized advertising — the backbone of Alphabet’s revenue, which last year accounted for roughly 75% of the company’s income. That data access is now under scrutiny by U.S. regulators, with the Department of Justice calling for the divestiture of Chrome following a judge’s ruling that Google holds an unlawful monopoly in online search.
AI at the Core of the Experience
What sets OpenAI’s browser apart from rivals — including recent AI entrants like Perplexity’s Comet, Brave, and Arc — is the level of agency built into its core. The browser is expected to perform tasks like form-filling, booking reservations, and navigating websites autonomously, using AI models and tools such as OpenAI’s “Operator” agent.
This could mark a major shift in how people interact with the web. Rather than using a browser as a gateway to other websites, users may remain inside a self-contained, AI-driven environment — with ChatGPT handling tasks traditionally done by the user.
Google’s Head Start — and Vulnerability
Despite OpenAI’s momentum, Google Chrome still holds a commanding lead with over 3 billion users worldwide. Apple’s Safari trails far behind with around 16% market share.
But Google’s lead is under threat. In addition to legal pressure from regulators, a new generation of AI-native browsers — from startups and now tech giants — is challenging the traditional search-and-click model.
In this rapidly shifting landscape, OpenAI’s browser could redefine not just how people browse, but how they use the web — turning passive searching into active collaboration with AI.
