Here is how to use OpenAI’s new ChatGPT-powered search engine, Atlas

TITLE: OpenAI’s Atlas Browser Redefines Web Navigation with AI-Powered Agent Capabilities

Atlas Browser Merges AI and Web Browsing in Revolutionary New Platform

OpenAI has launched Atlas, a groundbreaking ChatGPT-powered browser that represents the most significant shift in web navigation technology in over a decade. Available initially for macOS users, Atlas transforms the traditional browsing experience into an interactive, AI-driven conversation that can perform complex tasks on behalf of users.

Atlas Browser Merges AI and Web Browsing in Revolutionary New Platform
How Atlas Transforms the Browsing Experience
Agent Mode: AI-Powered Task Automation
The Emerging AI Browser Landscape
Privacy and Security Considerations
Market Implications and Competitive Landscape

Unlike conventional browsers that simply display web content, Atlas integrates ChatGPT at its core, enabling what OpenAI CEO Sam Altman describes as “a conversation” with the internet. During Tuesday’s surprise livestream announcement, Altman emphasized that “AI represents a rare, once-a-decade opportunity to rethink what a browser can be,” suggesting that tab-based browsing, while revolutionary in its time, has seen little innovation since its introduction.

How Atlas Transforms the Browsing Experience

The installation process for Mac users involves downloading the application, dragging it into the Applications folder, and signing in with a ChatGPT account. Upon first launch, Atlas guides users through a comprehensive setup that includes data import from other browsers, keychain access authorization, and the option to enable the browser’s distinctive “browser memories” feature.

The “browser memories” functionality represents Atlas’s most significant departure from traditional browsers. When activated, ChatGPT remembers visited sites and uses this context to personalize searches, suggest relevant pages, and instantly retrieve content viewed days or weeks earlier. This creates a continuously learning browsing environment that becomes more helpful over time., as our earlier report, according to market insights

Agent Mode: AI-Powered Task Automation

For ChatGPT Plus, Pro, and Business subscribers, Atlas offers an even more advanced feature: agent mode. This capability allows an AI agent to handle web-based tasks autonomously, including research, data analysis, trip planning, and appointment scheduling.

During the live demonstration, OpenAI showcased how the agent mode could examine a recipe, calculate ingredient quantities for eight people, and automatically populate an Instacart shopping cart from Safeway using previous browsing data. Notably, while the agent could add items to the cart, it stopped short of completing the purchase, indicating careful consideration of security boundaries.

The Emerging AI Browser Landscape

Atlas enters a rapidly evolving market where browsers are becoming the next frontier in AI competition. Startups including Perplexity with Comet and The Browser Company with Dia are experimenting with similar AI integrations, while tech giants Google and Microsoft race to incorporate AI assistants into Chrome and Edge respectively.

The launch immediately impacted financial markets, with Alphabet’s shares declining more than 2.2% by market close on Tuesday. This reaction underscores the potential threat Atlas poses to Google’s dominant position in browsing and digital advertising.

Privacy and Security Considerations

The agent-based browsing experience introduces new privacy dimensions that both users and regulators will need to carefully consider. While traditional browsers and chatbots already collect significant user data, AI agents that can perform actions on behalf of users represent a new category of privacy consideration.

OpenAI product lead Pranav Vishnu addressed these concerns directly during the livestream, emphasizing that “the AI agent only operates on tabs and can’t execute code on a user’s computer or access other files.” Users maintain control through the ability to log out of ChatGPT’s agent functionality at any time.

Vishnu acknowledged the dual nature of this technology, stating that “despite all of the power and awesome capabilities you get with sharing your browser with ChatGPT, that also imposes an entirely new set of risks.” This balanced approach reflects OpenAI’s awareness of both the potential and responsibilities inherent in agentic AI browsing.

Market Implications and Competitive Landscape

With ChatGPT’s existing user base of over 800 million, Atlas represents a significant opportunity for OpenAI to capture browser market share from Google Chrome’s 3 billion users. The success of Atlas could potentially open new revenue streams through digital advertising while directly competing with Google’s core profit centers.

The browser’s unique capabilities position it as more than just another Chrome alternative. By integrating AI directly into the browsing experience rather than as a separate extension or feature, Atlas offers a fundamentally different approach to web navigation that could appeal to users seeking more efficient, intelligent web interaction.

As the AI browser wars intensify, Atlas sets a new standard for what’s possible when artificial intelligence becomes an integral part of how we explore and interact with the digital world.