That brings us to a critical question: What can these AI tools actually do in browsers? Once the mystique of a powerful chatbot wears off, what proves to be useful in an essential way and what fades off as some software parlor trick? In Arc Max’s first week, users created over a million summaries using generative AI to view previews of hyperlinked information before clicking on the web page.
Instead of going to OpenAI’s website to use ChatGPT or another chatbot, composing AI text with Airis is fairly seamless. “Let’s say you were writing a tweet,” says Ghassemibouyaghchi. “You ask Airis, ‘Rewrite this for me.’ And it will rewrite your tweet in any tone, any format that you want.” As chatbots and the large language models underlying these AI tools improve, additional innovations become possible.
“It changes the way that you browse the web. You don’t need to open a new tab, do a Google search, and find something that’s somewhat related,” says Brian Bondy, cofounder and CTO at Brave, another browser startup that added AI as part of the user experience. “You just ask the question on the page that you’re on.” Brave’s browser assistant, Leo, can also answer questions and provide further context as you browse the internet. The company’s basic AI tool runs on Meta’s open source Llama 2 model, while the subscription version of Leo uses Anthropic’s Claude.
Software developers continue to experiment with ways generative AI can make browsers more tailored to your interests and the topics you’re looking at on each web page. “The vision that we have is the browsers being even more personal than they are today,” says Krystian Kolondra, an executive vice president and head of desktop browsers at Opera. In addition to a browser with AI flourishes, Opera offers another specialized browser that’s made for gamers.
“We kind of broke all of the software industry rules,” says Miller. Instead of adding new AI tools as the default settings, Arc Max is opt-in. He’s also upfront that the Browser Company decided not to release every AI tool that it developed, out of an abundance of caution for user’s privacy.
As first adopters continue to play around with AI-enhanced browsers and companies mimic each other’s functions, the privacy protections offered remain key differentiators. Sensitive information about who you are, where you live, and what you’re interested in is often fully exposed through your internet browsing habits. Yes, nascent users often want the most powerful option, but they may also be inclined to trust AI tools more if the software creators prioritize privacy.
