OpenAI launches ChatGPT Atlas, an AI-powered browser

OpenAI has launched ChatGPT Atlas, a macOS browser that integrates ChatGPT directly into the pages you visit. You can ask it to explain what you are reading, summarize information, compare products, or complete tasks without copying content between tabs.

The idea is to turn the browser into more than a window for visiting websites. Atlas combines browsing, conversation, and automated actions in one place, with optional access to ChatGPT's memory and the context of the pages you view.

ChatGPT understands what you are seeing

Atlas includes a ChatGPT sidebar that can analyze the open page. For example, while studying a presentation, you can ask it to generate practice questions about the content without taking screenshots or switching applications.

You can also enable browser memories, a feature that remembers relevant information from the websites you visit. You could then ask it to retrieve the job listings you looked at last week and prepare a summary of industry trends for an interview.

This memory is optional and can be managed in the settings. You can:

• View or archive saved memories.
• Delete specific pages or your entire history.
• Specify which sites ChatGPT can or cannot read.
• Use an incognito window to browse without maintaining your ChatGPT session.

When you disable visibility for a site from the address bar, ChatGPT cannot read its content or create memories from it. OpenAI also says that, by default, browsing content is not used to train its models. You can change that option from the data controls.

An agent that opens tabs and completes tasks

The main difference from using ChatGPT in a separate tab is agent mode. This mode lets ChatGPT act inside the browser to complete multi-step processes.

For example, you can give it a recipe and ask it to find a store, add the ingredients to a cart, and prepare an order. At work, it can review internal documents open in the browser, research competitors, and compile the results into a report.

Atlas can ask whether you want it to start opening tabs and clicking, or you can activate agent mode directly. The feature is available in preview for Plus, Pro, and Business users.

OpenAI warns that the agent can still make mistakes in complex processes. A webpage or email could also contain hidden instructions designed to confuse the agent and make it steal data or perform unauthorized actions.

To reduce those risks, the agent:

• Cannot run code in the browser.
• Cannot download files or install extensions.
• Cannot access other applications or the computer's file system.
• Pauses so you can confirm actions on sensitive sites, such as financial institutions.
• Can be used in offline mode to limit its access to private data.

Even so, OpenAI recommends monitoring what the agent does and avoiding giving it unnecessary access to sensitive accounts. The company says it has conducted thousands of hours of security testing, but acknowledges that the safeguards will not stop every possible attack.

Who can use it

ChatGPT Atlas is launching worldwide on macOS for Free, Plus, Pro, and Go users. It is also available in beta for Business and can be enabled for Enterprise and Edu accounts if the plan administrator allows it.

When you install it, you can import bookmarks, saved passwords, and browsing history from your current browser. Versions for Windows, iOS, and Android will arrive later.

For you, the change depends on how much you want to delegate. Atlas can save you time when researching, studying, or completing repetitive tasks, but it also concentrates more personal information in an assistant that can act on your behalf. The important thing will be controlling what it sees, what it remembers, and when it can click for you. OpenAI is already preparing support for multiple profiles, better developer tools, and new ways to integrate applications into the browser.