Reports: OpenAI Working on Web Browser To Compete With Google Chrome

OpenAI is working on a web browser that could compete with Google Chrome, The Information reports.

The ChatGPT-maker has reportedly hired ex-Google developers such as Ben Goodger and Darin Fisher, some of the team who worked on the original Chrome project. The report claims that OpenAI AI has discussed the new browser project with companies like media conglomerate Conde Nast, ticketing firm Eventbrite, Redfin, and Priceline. 

OpenAI has allegedly been discussing “power search features for travel, food, real estate, and retail websites” with its potential partners. The new browser, perhaps unsurprisingly, will also have built-in support for Chat GPT and Open AI’s search engine Search GPT.

OpenAI has yet to comment publically on the existence of such a product. 

But we’re not likely to see Google’s dominance in the browser world challenges anytime soon, The Information reported that the functional version of the browser is not even “remotely close.”

In addition, The Information claims that OpenAI is in discussions with Samsung to lend some of its AI features to its smartphones.

For the time being, Google Chrome is by far the most popular web browser in the world. Though exact statistics don’t exist, October data from Statcounter estimates Google Chrome’s share of the browser marketplace at 77% on the desktop and 96% on mobile.

However, Google Chrome’s future looked uncertain at the time of writing. Earlier this week, The US officially proposed that Google sell off its Chrome browser business, alleging that its dominance over the browser market constitutes an illegal monopoly. 

“The playing field is not level because of Google’s conduct, and Google’s quality reflects the ill-gotten gains of an advantage illegally acquired,” said an executive summary of the proposal first posted by Thomson Reuters. “The remedy must close this gap and deprive Google of these advantages.”

Google has so far hit back at the DOJ, calling the suggested remedies outlined “extreme” in a blog post, while Mozilla has also claimed the DOJ’s actions could end up hurting smaller browsers.

The Information’s reports, if correct, would bring OpenAI into even closer competition with Google in the world of search.

OpenAI launched SearchGPT in July 2024, using ChatGPT tech to provide search engine experience. The tool provides AI summaries in response to users’ queries while providing links to where it scraped the information, using an integration with Google’s search rival Bing.

About Will McCurdy

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I’m a reporter covering weekend news. Before joining PCMag in 2024, I picked up bylines in BBC News, The Guardian, The Times of London, The Daily Beast, Vice, Slate, Fast Company, The Evening Standard, The i, TechRadar, and Decrypt Media.

I’ve been a PC gamer since you had to install games from multiple CD-ROMs by hand. As a reporter, I’m passionate about the intersection of tech and human lives. I’ve covered everything from crypto scandals to the art world, as well as conspiracy theories, UK politics, and Russia and foreign affairs.

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