This is a good move - we are moving towards a world where browsers are locked down and non mainstream browsers will be locked out of browsing the web (right now by anti-scraping measures but in the future by cryptographically based attestation).
If OpenAI can get enough users on their browser, they can keep control of the user experience and not default to the scraps Google/Apple give them.
zaptrem · 19h ago
Using this to bypass scraping protections would be genius.
fuzzfactor · 18h ago
I'm behind sama 100% on this one.
If there's a mode where it can render all non-ad text without even downloading anything else into a users machine, it'll be a slam-dunk.
With optional further granularity to include images, then audio, then video.
User-selectable filtration would be nice but if it was done right the defaults could be a moving target based on collective data and it would be continuously adapting to the ad onslaught as it evolves in real time. To users' advantage even as the unfiltered ad landscape evolves toward worse user disadvantage.
Default built-in prompt "remove the crap", you'll know how successful it is by how much users rejoice.
Ideally would be very sparse on any data uploaded from users machines, so that it was always measurably insignificant when it comes to privacy intrusion compared to things like Chrome. Overwhelming advantages in bandwidth usage and memory consumption are on the table just for the taking.
It would have to stay ahead one step more intelligently than an ad-based company, and it could actually make the world a better place in its own way more than people might have expected.
Ideally OpenAI should be able to afford it, and it could fly off the shelf with no need for OpenAI to become an ad company itself. That's a strategy which Google might not be able to retaliate against without curtailing massive amounts of its own ads. Which would be fine, Google should be involved in making things better for the user too. Maybe all they've been needing lately is a little serious encouragement.
I did kinda think OpenAI had gotten together with Microsoft to make things like this happen a while ago, but I guess people can't always get along, much less come to agreement on what makes the world a better place :\
add-sub-mul-div · 18h ago
In 2025 there's no excuse for believing they want to "make the world a better place" where it conflicts with their profit. They will not leave ad revenue on the table for a minute longer than they can get away with.
Maybe we could be forgiven for not seeing it coming with Netflix etc. but by now it should be taken for granted that these companies feign benevolence until its users are dependent. And if you think people are too dependent on bad Netflix programming to drop it, wait five more years until a whole generation has stopped being able to think or do their job unaided.
In addition to traditional ads, AI can deliver promotional and editorial content seamlessly and undisclosedly in its output. It's the holy grail of advertising. It's years out, but it's coming. Whatever they can do, they will do. It doesn't take a lot of imagination to see this.
fuzzfactor · 17h ago
Yup, looking at the other side of the coin there's the full chance to become an ad company on steroids instead.
It's just so disappointing when somewhere the opposite approach to "don't be evil" is always lurking.
Jubijub · 16h ago
It’s a certainty at this point, they will need the revenue stream
thm · 20h ago
When you run out of ideas, build a browser. And when you run out of principles, make it proprietary.
cpeterso · 15h ago
And most of Chromium uses the BSD license, so OpenAI won't need to open source their magic sauce.
sleepytimetea · 19h ago
Busy work- yet another browser/IDE/framework because why not.
Melatonic · 17h ago
Definitely gonna be a Chromium fork sending tons of data back to OpenAI
As usual I will stick to Firefox
robgibbons · 12h ago
I'm assuming the same until informed otherwise.
k-i-r-t-h-i · 18h ago
Tactically pretty interesting - even if they fail or aren't that serious about this, it forces Google to scramble energy and resources into defending their turf. Attention spent defending is attention not spent elsewhere.
nadermx · 19h ago
Wonder if they will fork firefox? Or pull a microsoft and fork chrome?
sunaookami · 19h ago
Of course they will fork Chrome, slap some half-assed AI features on it and call it a day.
mccr8 · 17h ago
The article says: "OpenAI's browser is built atop Chromium, Google's own open-source browser code, two of the sources said."
If OpenAI can get enough users on their browser, they can keep control of the user experience and not default to the scraps Google/Apple give them.
If there's a mode where it can render all non-ad text without even downloading anything else into a users machine, it'll be a slam-dunk.
With optional further granularity to include images, then audio, then video.
User-selectable filtration would be nice but if it was done right the defaults could be a moving target based on collective data and it would be continuously adapting to the ad onslaught as it evolves in real time. To users' advantage even as the unfiltered ad landscape evolves toward worse user disadvantage.
Default built-in prompt "remove the crap", you'll know how successful it is by how much users rejoice.
Ideally would be very sparse on any data uploaded from users machines, so that it was always measurably insignificant when it comes to privacy intrusion compared to things like Chrome. Overwhelming advantages in bandwidth usage and memory consumption are on the table just for the taking.
It would have to stay ahead one step more intelligently than an ad-based company, and it could actually make the world a better place in its own way more than people might have expected.
Ideally OpenAI should be able to afford it, and it could fly off the shelf with no need for OpenAI to become an ad company itself. That's a strategy which Google might not be able to retaliate against without curtailing massive amounts of its own ads. Which would be fine, Google should be involved in making things better for the user too. Maybe all they've been needing lately is a little serious encouragement.
I did kinda think OpenAI had gotten together with Microsoft to make things like this happen a while ago, but I guess people can't always get along, much less come to agreement on what makes the world a better place :\
Maybe we could be forgiven for not seeing it coming with Netflix etc. but by now it should be taken for granted that these companies feign benevolence until its users are dependent. And if you think people are too dependent on bad Netflix programming to drop it, wait five more years until a whole generation has stopped being able to think or do their job unaided.
In addition to traditional ads, AI can deliver promotional and editorial content seamlessly and undisclosedly in its output. It's the holy grail of advertising. It's years out, but it's coming. Whatever they can do, they will do. It doesn't take a lot of imagination to see this.
It's just so disappointing when somewhere the opposite approach to "don't be evil" is always lurking.
As usual I will stick to Firefox