Google has long dominated both the Search world and the Browser industry, yet Sam Altman's OpenAI could be providing the tech giant with its biggest threat in decades thanks to a new announcement.
There's a reason why Chrome is downloaded as default on countless devices, and almost all Windows users opt to use Google's behemoth browser despite having to go through Edge to get there first.
It certainly has its deficiencies, if not only the sheer amount of memory it hogs with just a few tabs open, but many are entrenched in Google's ecosystem where it simply makes sense for Chrome to be their home.
While an antitrust lawsuit that claims Chrome as a monopoly might force Google to sell its legendary browser in a landmark move, Sam Altman appears to have an ace up his sleeve that could overtake the giant without any help from the courts.
What is OpenAI's new product?
As reported by Ynetnews, OpenAI intends to launch a browser powered entirely using generative AI in a move that could completely shift the way people use the internet.
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Currently most web traffic is driven through search engines like Google, which direct people to websites based on their specific queries. However, using the power of ChatGPT this new browser aims to cut out the middle man and provide the answers and solutions directly to the user for them.
One Apple executive has already revealed that they believe AI searches will be the future with traditional search engines becoming a relic of the past, and this new Chrome rival could accelerate that.
Google already has a rebuttal of its own to this with their new 'AI Mode', which allows users to 'search' using a conversational AI that then collates results and information into an article-like response, although some have expressed that this could destroy the internet as we know it.
However, OpenAI's browser will extend this experience to the web as a whole, and serve as a supercharged version of ChatGPT that could hypothetically do anything you'd need a browser for in a more seamless manner.
When will OpenAI's browser launch?
According to Reuters, people familiar with the matter have indicated that OpenAI's new AI-powered browser will launch 'in the coming weeks', although it's unclear whether it will be a full launch or a test version to begin with.
OpenAI has already had significant success with key ChatGPT improvements this year, registering a record number of sign ups after enhancing its image generation capabilities, but this new addition could serve as a significant win both in popularity and its strive to collect user data.
ChatGPT is already has a veritable gold mine of information on everyone that uses it, but expanding that into a full blown browser would enhance that significantly, and take away one of Google's biggest strengths if successful.