OpenAI has introduced Atlas, a cutting-edge AI browser designed to enhance online navigation and shopping experiences.
On Tuesday, the company known for creating ChatGPT unveiled Atlas, an AI-driven browser currently available on macOS for paid users only.
This browser features several tools, including a memory function that allows ChatGPT to retain context from places users visit. One notable functionality is the “agent mode.”
In agent mode, the Atlas browser can actively research information, analyze data, and automate tasks while users continue browsing. Users can also leverage it to open new tabs and perform tasks on their behalf, as explained by OpenAI.
“It’s now better at researching and analyzing, automating tasks, and planning events or booking appointments while you browse.”
In-browser Personal Assistant
The agent mode of Atlas essentially integrates a personal assistant directly within the browser.
Users can delegate tasks like planning a dinner party, where the AI agent helps find a recipe, searches for ingredient stores, adds items to the shopping cart, and arranges delivery.
Atlas AI agents can go shopping for you. Source: OpenAI
Atlas is equipped with several protective features, such as avoiding executing code within the browser, downloading files, or installing extensions. It does not have access to other applications on user computers or their file systems, and it will pause before executing sensitive actions, especially on financial sites.
Glimpse into Future of Agentic AI
The OpenAI browser presents an early look at what a future may hold with embedded agentic AI, possibly boosted further by blockchain technology.
“We’ve entered the era of AI agents,” said Microsoft’s Frank Shaw earlier this year.
“This emerging vision of the internet is an open agentic web, where AI agents make decisions and perform tasks on behalf of users or organizations,” he elaborated.
Recently, discussions around AI “agentic commerce” gained attention at the Fed’s Payment Innovation Conference, where ARK Invest’s Cathie Wood, Coinbase’s Alesia Haas, and Google Cloud’s Richard Widmann lauded the potential of AI agents for autonomous payment solutions.
