OpenAI’s New Browser Test Draws Criticism — Altman Channels “Jobs Style,” Hires Google Veterans to Create a ChatGPT-Style Chrome?

2025‑10‑22 13:16 Beijing — OpenAI Stuns with ChatGPT Atlas Launch

Today, OpenAI shocked audiences with a sudden livestream announcing its brand‑new web browser, ChatGPT Atlas — sending Google stock tumbling over 4% at one point.

This macOS‑exclusive debut managed to wipe out $100B+ in market cap from a trillion‑dollar tech giant within minutes.

Shares partially recovered after the event.

---

OpenAI’s Vision: Browser as the Next OS

OpenAI believes the browser is the logical next stage in operating system evolution.

Nick Turley, ChatGPT’s product lead, was inspired by re‑shaping OS experiences via browser innovation.

Recent OpenAI releases — Sora for AI video, in‑chat third‑party app calls, and direct shopping — hint at one goal:

> Build a “life‑essential operating system” with AI proactively accomplishing all digital tasks.

---

Core Features of Atlas (Windows Coming Soon)

CEO Sam Altman said during launch:

> “Just like the URL bar once revolutionized internet interaction, merging chat with browsing can now become a super‑efficient mode of working online.”

Available now: macOS

Coming soon: Windows, iOS, Android

Foundation: open‑source Chromium (same engine as Chrome)

Built‑in: ChatGPT as a permanent intelligent assistant

Highlights:

• Persistent sidebar with in‑page context understanding and summarization
• URL bar feeds directly to ChatGPT search — returning rich, organized results (text, images, video, news)
• Homepage recommendations based on browsing habits

---

Agent Mode — Autonomous AI Tasks

Exclusive to ChatGPT Plus/Pro/Business users.

Adam Fry, Head of Product:

> “Atlas can take action — booking hotels, flights, or editing your document.”

Demo Example:

• Generate recipe ingredient list
• Log into Instacart
• Add all items to cart
• Checkout in minutes

Safety:

• Tab‑only access (no local files/code execution)
• Confirmation prompts before big actions
• Pause/stop/take control anytime

---

Memory & Privacy

Atlas can leverage browsing history to personalize responses.

Full user control to view/delete memories — aligned with existing ChatGPT privacy standards.

---

Industry Impact — Linking Browsers & Monetization Ecosystems

Platforms like AiToEarn官网 showcase how creators can:

• Generate, publish, monetize AI content across Douyin, Kwai, YouTube, LinkedIn, etc.
• Use unified analytics & AI模型排名 to track performance

As browsers evolve into AI‑powered OS layers, such monetization frameworks could run seamlessly inside tools like Atlas.

---

Cursor Chat — Inline AI Editing

Select text → Click “ChatGPT Button” → AI refines instantly.

Demo: Improve email content directly from the inbox without switching apps.

Some users commented:

> “Atlas looks like OpenAI’s super app, or the entry point to its ecosystem.”

---

Altman’s Direct Challenge to Google

OpenAI hired Chrome veterans to eliminate launch roadblocks.

The goal isn’t just calling old browsers “outdated” — it’s crafting a fully AI‑integrated system.

Atlas threatens Google because:

• Chrome dominates
• 800M weekly ChatGPT users could switch, bypassing Google Search/ads

---

Search Reinvented

Engineering Lead Ben Goodger:

> “It’s multi‑turn interactive search — you converse with results instead of visiting a single page.”

Goodger: Firefox/Chrome originator, ex‑Google VP, joined OpenAI in 2024 to lead Atlas tech.

Google’s AI search tweaks remain incremental (info boxes, snippets) vs. OpenAI’s deep conversational flow — hard for Chrome to replicate.

---

Google’s Potential Response

Anticipated via Gemini 3 — better reasoning across media, integrated into Chrome and Google ecosystem.

But exclusive search contracts were recently banned in the U.S., limiting Google’s options.

---

Ads & Data Control

OpenAI currently ad‑free, but job postings suggest future monetization.

Atlas enables real‑time on‑screen text capture for precise ad targeting — a capability unseen in browsers before.

Observer:

> “Workflow shift from query → link → read to ask AI → answer → act renders SEO/ad networks obsolete.”

---

Early Development: Quality & User Need Will Decide

Atlas’s future hinges on:

• Matching product quality with real user needs
• Balancing growth models and revenue generation, possibly to offset $300B infra investment

---

Browser Wars 2.0

Altman: “Tabs are great, but innovation stalled for years.”

Now the contenders:

• OpenAI — Atlas
• Perplexity — Comet (now free)
• The Browser Company — Dia
• Google/Microsoft — existing browsers

---

Tester Feedback

Pros:

• Simple, clean interface vs. Comet
• Strong contextual AI sidebar

Cons:

• Must open ChatGPT inside Atlas to chat
• Poor Google Drive search performance
• Lacks LastPass support
• Distrust over handing OpenAI all online data
• UI seen as dull; AI overly intrusive

Market reality: Chrome’s ~70% share + habit lock‑in = tough transition.

---

LLM Innovation Plateau Debate

Atlas’s arrival triggered discussion on whether large language model innovation is slowing.

---

Security Risks in Agentic Browsers

Agentic AI can expand attack surfaces.

Per Winbuzzer: Perplexity’s Comet had “indirect prompt injection” vulnerabilities — malicious webpage embeds commands, fooling AI into unsafe actions.

Securing these systems is critical for adoption.

Reference: Introducing ChatGPT Atlas

---

Conference: QCon Shanghai Oct 23–25

• Topics: Agentic AI, Embodied Intelligence, Reinforcement Learning, On‑device LLMs, Multi‑Agent Collaboration
• 100+ Engineering Cases
• Seats limited — scan to reserve!

---

Today’s Recommended Reading

• AI coding assistant price up 10×; CEO: some exploited us for $100k+
• “Claude Skills may surpass MCP in importance”
• Anthropic’s new model — costs down ⅔, performance near GPT‑5
• Karpathy builds personal ChatGPT in 4 hrs — 8k lines hand‑coded

---

AI Weekly Highlights

Zhipu AI Denies Layoffs

Recruiting ~50 roles now; strong focus on talent & R&D.

Zhang Yiming’s Rare Appearance

Warns that some talented individuals lack true innovation capability.

Sora Android Launch

Extends reach; OpenAI reportedly spending $7B/year.

---

Industry Trends

• Funding: Multiple startups close Series A–C
• Products: LLM integration into productivity suites accelerates
• Policy: New AI governance frameworks in APAC

---

Insight: Sustainable AI growth demands innovation + monetization frameworks like AiToEarn官网 — bridging multi‑platform publishing and income streams.

---

You Might Also Like:

• AI Funding Trends 2024
• Multimodal Benchmarks
• AI Ops Policy & Compliance

Read Original

WeChat Link