A new era in web browsing is emerging, with AI-powered browsers like Perplexity’s Comet and an upcoming browser from OpenAI promising to transform how we interact with the internet. These tools aim to go beyond traditional browsers like Chrome and Safari, offering intelligent, assistant-like features that help users search, organise, and complete tasks without the need to sift through endless tabs or links. Comet, currently available to Perplexity Max subscribers at $200 per month, marks a significant shift in browser capabilities by incorporating agentic AI—systems that can think, act, and make decisions for users.
Perplexity’s Comet brings AI to the forefront of the browsing experience with a unified interface where users can research, compare products, summarise content, and schedule meetings using natural language. Its key feature, the Comet Assistant, functions like a personal digital aide, helping users manage tasks such as summarising emails, organising tabs, and navigating calendars. The “sidecar” mode lets the assistant view any webpage the user is on and respond in real time, streamlining multitasking.
This move is part of Perplexity’s broader ambition to evolve from a search engine into a full-fledged digital assistant that replaces traditional browsing workflows. Rather than serving as a passive tool, Comet positions the browser as an active participant in users’ digital lives.
Meanwhile, OpenAI is also on the verge of launching its own AI browser, according to sources speaking with Reuters. While the full details remain under wraps, the browser is expected to deeply integrate ChatGPT-like functionality into everyday browsing. Instead of switching between tabs and digging through pages of results, users might interact through a conversational interface that delivers concise, relevant answers directly.
Both initiatives represent a larger trend where browsers no longer simply display content but actively help users make sense of it. With companies like Google already embedding AI into Chrome, the competition to redefine the browser is heating up.
Whether these AI browsers become the new norm or not, one thing is clear: they are pushing the boundaries of what we expect from our everyday web tools, turning them from search portals into intelligent assistants.
